The Holiday Season Often Proves to Be a Living Hell for Those with Misophonia.
Lottie is looking forward to spending time with her family during the festive period, but notes a primary method she'll manage to get through it is by relying on her hearing protection - particularly at the main festive feast.
For the 23-year-old, Christmas often feels like a notably tough time as the auditory triggers of family members munching, slurping and breathing heavily make her feel intense distress.
"I experience this sensation of instant dread, my whole body will just freeze and it feels like I'm in peril, and I need to somehow control these triggers."
She has lived with misophonia since she was 16 and for her that causes the holiday period "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to certain sounds, notably sounds made by those around you.
The condition is widespread across the population. Experts discovered almost one in five people are affected by it.
Typically it's sounds linked to mouth, throat or facial movements that lead to discomfort, including things like crunching, breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
Triggering Stress
Lottie says: "There are so many assorted problematic noises at the holidays and that can be stressful and make you dread it.
"Those close to me are understanding, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a internal conflict of enduring my distress to ensure others enjoy themselves."
So it's easy to understand why the most wonderful period can quickly turn into a stressful ordeal for affected individuals.
Noises that may seem harmless, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, opening presents, or eating the holiday meal can cause a visceral feeling that can even result in them withdrawing from gatherings.
The student, a 21-year-old student, who has struggled with misophonia from childhood, explains the approach she intends to use is to use headphones to cope. Usually, she would often retreat in a different room to minimize triggering sounds.
She explains her misophonia is more pronounced around people she's closest to, so the holidays is always "challenging".
"There is pressure to socialize with family, and I wish to, but it's draining.
"It's like this sudden rage takes hold, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel anxious and immediately start crying and then the stress response will kick in.
"It can come across as if I'm being unreasonable and melodramatic, but it's difficult to convey without firsthand experience."
A Few Techniques to Manage
For those affected then there are a few methods you can use to handle the situation, based on advice from specialists.
- Visualise a Different Scenario: Mental imagery is key. Work on connecting the triggering sound bothering you with something completely different. As an illustration, try to envision someone's slurping is just a sink draining water. The goal is to retrain your mind that the sound affecting you is neutral.
- Try a Competition: Have a bit of fun and turn the annoying sound into a challenge involving the source. As an example, if someone is eating noisily try copying the noise. By mimicking, rather than feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an active participant. And the competition element should help redirect your focus and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Create a Scenario: Another technique is to try to fabricate an explanation about the reason someone creating the sound is behaving that way. Imagine if someone was making a nasal sound, perhaps they're not in good health or maybe they're upset. By doing this is re-framing the context of the sound. While the sound stays the same, your reaction of it shifts from being irritating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate towards it.
