Christmas Often Proves to Be a Terrifying Experience for Misophonia Sufferers.
A 23-year-old is looking forward to being with her loved ones this Christmas, but admits a primary method she'll cope is by wearing her earplugs - particularly at the holiday meal.
For the 23-year-old, the holidays is a particularly difficult period as the sounds of other people chewing, sipping loudly and breathing heavily cause her profound anxiety.
"I experience this sensation of sudden panic, my entire being will just tighten and it as though I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to stop these triggers."
She has lived with this condition for several years and for her that makes the festive season "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to specific noises, especially noises made by those around you.
It's surprisingly common in the UK. A study found nearly 20% people experience it.
Often it's sounds linked to mouth, throat or facial movements that cause distress, including things like crunching, heavy breathing, and pen clicking.
A Source of Dread
Lottie says: "You encounter so many various auditory triggers at the holidays and that can be stressful and make you fear it.
"My family are understanding, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to upset others. It's like a really big battle of managing my symptoms to ensure others enjoy themselves."
So it's easy to understand why the traditionally happy season can quickly turn into a living nightmare for those with the condition.
Triggers that may appear innocuous, like someone drinking champagne, unwrapping gifts, or eating the holiday meal can provoke a visceral feeling that can even lead to them withdrawing from gatherings.
She, a 21-year-old student, who has experienced sound sensitivity since aged 10, says the approach she intends to use is to put her earphones in to get through dinner. On any other day, she would frequently go in a different room to avoid triggering sounds.
She notes her misophonia is worse around people she's closest to, so the holidays is always "difficult".
"People assume you to spend time with family, and I desire to, but it's draining.
"The sensation is this sudden rage washes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel anxious and burst into tears and then fight-or-flight will activate.
"It may seem as if I'm being difficult and melodramatic, but it's hard to explain if you haven't felt it."
A Few Techniques to Manage
If you suffer then there are some different techniques you can use to handle the situation, as suggested by specialists.
- Picture Something Else: Imagination is essential. Attempt to link the triggering sound causing distress with an unrelated image. So for example, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. The goal is to retrain your mind that the sound affecting you isn't harmful.
- Make it a Game: Introduce playfulness and turn the annoying sound into a game with the culprit. For example, if someone is crunching loudly have a go at copying the noise. By mimicking, instead of feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an engaged person. And the competition element should help distract your brain and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Develop a Narrative: One more method is to try to create a little story about the reason someone making the noise is behaving that way. So 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. Although the noise doesn't change, your reaction of it moves from being irritating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate about it.
