Yuletide Can Be a Living Hell for Misophonia Sufferers.
A 23-year-old is looking forward to being with her family during the festive period, but admits a key strategy she'll manage to get through it is by relying on her hearing protection - notably for Christmas dinner.
For her, Christmas can be a especially challenging season as the sounds of family members munching, slurping and sniffling make her feel intense distress.
"I get this sensation of sudden panic, my entire being will just tense up and it seems as if I'm in danger, and I need to manage these triggers."
Lottie has experienced this condition since she was 16 and for her that renders the Christmas time "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to certain sounds, especially noises produced by those around you.
The condition is widespread amongst adults. Researchers discovered a significant portion of people are affected by it.
Frequently it's sounds connected to bodily functions that lead to discomfort, including examples such as crunching, heavy breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
'Anxiety Inducing'
The sufferer notes: "You encounter so many various auditory triggers at Christmas and that can be anxiety inducing and make you fear it.
"My family are aware, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a constant struggle of sacrificing my own sanity to guarantee others enjoy themselves."
So it's clear why the supposedly joyous season can transform into a source of agony for those with the condition.
Noises that may be considered normal, like someone sipping a beverage, opening presents, or enjoying festive food 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 since aged 10, explains the approach she intends to use is to use headphones to cope. Usually, she would often retreat in a separate space to escape problematic noises.
She explains her condition is worse around people she's most comfortable with, so the holidays is always "challenging".
"People assume you to be around family, and I want to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"It's like this uncontrollable anger takes hold, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel anxious and burst into tears and then panic will kick in.
"It can come across as if I'm being oversensitive and overreacting, but it's difficult to convey unless you've experienced it."
Three Ways to Manage
If it's an issue then there are a few methods you can use to handle the situation, based on advice from experts.
- Picture a Different Scenario: Imagination is crucial. Attempt to link the specific noise causing distress with an unrelated image. For instance, try to envision someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. By doing this is to teach your brain that the sound affecting you poses no threat.
- 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 mimicking the sound. Through participation, rather than feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an engaged person. And the competition element should help redirect your focus and make you a little less affected.
- Develop a Narrative: Another technique is to try to fabricate an explanation about why the person making the noise is having to make that sound. For example if someone was sniffing, it could be that they're not in good health or could be emotional. By doing this is altering the perception of the sound. Even though the noise remains identical, your understanding of it shifts from being irritating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate towards it.
