Yuletide Transforms Into a Terrifying Experience for Those with Misophonia.
A 23-year-old hopes for seeing her family over the holidays, but notes a key strategy she'll manage to get through it is by using her earplugs - notably for the holiday meal.
In her case, the holidays is a particularly difficult period as the noises of people eating, sipping loudly and sniffling trigger intense distress.
"There's this wave of immediate anxiety, my whole body will just tense up and it as though I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to somehow control these noises."
Lottie has lived with misophonia since she was 16 and for her that causes the Christmas time "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to particular auditory triggers, especially noises coming from those around you.
It's surprisingly common in the UK. A study found a significant portion of people suffer from it.
Frequently it's sounds connected to eating or drinking that trigger a reaction, including things like chewing, breathing, and foot tapping.
'Anxiety Inducing'
The sufferer notes: "I face so many assorted problematic noises at Christmas and that can be daunting and make you want to avoid it.
"My family are supportive, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a internal conflict of managing my symptoms to ensure everyone else is happy."
So it's easy to understand why the supposedly joyous time of the year can quickly turn into a stressful ordeal for those with the condition.
Noises that may be considered normal, like someone drinking champagne, unwrapping gifts, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can provoke a visceral feeling that can even result in them avoiding social settings altogether.
Jenna, a young adult, who has experienced misophonia since aged 10, says her strategy is to listen to music to get through dinner. Typically, she would often retreat in a different room to avoid problematic noises.
She says her sensitivity is more intense around people she's closest to, so the holidays is always "challenging".
"People assume you to be around loved ones, and I wish to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"The sensation is this intense irritation takes hold, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel stressed and begin to weep and then fight-or-flight will take over.
"It may seem as if I'm being oversensitive and dramatic, but it's difficult to convey unless you've experienced it."
Several Strategies to Cope
If it's an issue then there are a few methods you can try to cope the situation, based on advice from experts.
- Imagine Something Else: Creative thinking is key. Try to associate the specific noise causing distress with something completely different. As an illustration, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. The goal is to retrain your mind that the sound triggering you isn't harmful.
- Make it a Game: Introduce playfulness and turn the annoying sound into a competition with the person. For instance, if someone is eating noisily have a go at joining in. By joining in, rather than feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an active participant. And the challenge should help distract your brain and make you a little less affected.
- Craft a Story: Another technique is to try to invent a reason about the reason someone creating the sound is having to make that sound. So if someone was making a nasal sound, it could be that they're not at their best or could be emotional. The idea is changing the meaning of the sound. Although the noise remains identical, your interpretation of it changes from being irritating, to feeling a bit more accepting towards it.