Christmas Often Proves to Be a Living Hell for Those with Misophonia.
Lottie is looking forward to spending time with her relatives during the festive period, but notes one of the only ways she'll manage to get through it is by relying on her hearing protection - notably for the main festive feast.
In her case, this time of year often feels like a notably tough season as the sounds of other people chewing, slurping and breathing heavily trigger intense distress.
"I experience this feeling of immediate anxiety, my whole body will just freeze and it seems as if I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to somehow control these sounds."
Lottie has experienced sound sensitivity for several years and for her that renders the holiday period "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to certain sounds, notably sounds made by those around you.
It's surprisingly common in the UK. Researchers reported nearly 20% people are affected by it.
Often it's sounds associated with eating or drinking that lead to discomfort, including things like chewing, breathing, and pen clicking.
Triggering Stress
The sufferer notes: "You encounter so many different triggering sounds at the holidays and that can be daunting and make you dread it.
"My family are supportive, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to upset others. It's like a constant struggle of managing my symptoms to make sure others enjoy themselves."
So it's easy to understand why the supposedly joyous season can transform into a stressful ordeal for those with the condition.
Sounds that may be considered normal, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or enjoying festive food can trigger a powerful reaction that can even cause them avoiding social settings altogether.
The student, a university student, who has experienced sound sensitivity from childhood, says currently her plan is to listen to music to get through dinner. Typically, she would often retreat in a different room to escape distressing triggers.
She says her condition is worse around people she's most comfortable with, so the holidays is always "difficult".
"There is pressure to spend time with family, and I want to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"It's like this sudden rage comes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel anxious and immediately start crying and then the stress response will activate.
"It may seem as if I'm being oversensitive and dramatic, but it's hard to explain if you haven't felt it."
Three Ways to Handle It
If you suffer then there are a few methods you can use to handle the situation, according to experts.
- Visualise a Different Scenario: Mental imagery is crucial. Work on connecting the particular sound causing distress with something completely different. For instance, try to envision someone's slurping is just a sink draining water. This technique is to retrain your mind that the sound affecting you poses no threat.
- Make it a Game: Have a bit of fun and turn the annoying sound into a challenge with the person. As an example, if someone is crunching loudly have a go at copying the noise. By joining in, instead of feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an active participant. And the challenge should help redirect your focus and make you a little less affected.
- Develop a Narrative: Another technique is to try to invent a reason about the reason someone creating the sound is behaving that way. Imagine if someone was making a nasal sound, it could be that they're not in good health or maybe they're upset. By doing this is changing the meaning of the sound. While the noise stays the same, your reaction of it moves from being irritating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate about it.
