Yuletide Transforms Into a Nightmare for Misophonia Sufferers.
One young woman hopes for being with her family over the holidays, but says one of the only ways she'll cope is by relying on her hearing protection - notably for Christmas dinner.
For the 23-year-old, Christmas can be a notably tough period as the noises of family members munching, sipping loudly and sniffling make her feel extremely uncomfortable.
"I experience this feeling of immediate anxiety, my every muscle will just tense up and it seems as if I'm in peril, and I need to stop these noises."
Lottie has lived with misophonia since she was 16 and for her that makes the Christmas time "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to specific noises, particularly those coming from those around you.
It is prevalent across the population. Researchers reported a significant portion of people suffer from it.
Typically it's noises connected to mouth, throat or facial movements that trigger a reaction, along with examples such as chewing, breathing, and pen clicking.
Triggering Stress
The sufferer notes: "There are so many various auditory triggers at the holidays and that can be daunting and make you fear it.
"My relatives are supportive, but I'm very aware that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a constant struggle of managing my symptoms to make sure others enjoy themselves."
So it's easy to understand why the traditionally happy time of the year can rapidly become a stressful ordeal for affected individuals.
Noises that may seem harmless, like someone drinking champagne, unwrapping gifts, or eating the holiday meal can provoke a visceral feeling that can even result in them avoiding social settings altogether.
The student, a young adult, who has struggled with misophonia since aged 10, states her strategy is to listen to music to cope. Usually, she would frequently go in a separate space to escape triggering sounds.
She notes her condition is worse around people she's most familiar with, so the holidays is always "hard".
"People assume you to be around loved ones, and I desire to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"It's like this uncontrollable anger comes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel anxious and immediately start crying and then panic will kick in.
"It may seem as if I'm being oversensitive and melodramatic, but it's tough to describe without firsthand experience."
Three Ways to Manage
For those affected then there are various strategies you can use to handle the situation, according to specialists.
- Visualise Something Else: Mental imagery is crucial. Attempt to link the triggering sound affecting you with an unrelated image. So for example, try to envision someone's slurping is just a waterfall. This technique is to help your brain learn that the sound affecting you isn't harmful.
- Use Humor: Have a bit of fun and make the irritating noise into a competition with the culprit. For example, if someone is crunching loudly have a go at mimicking the sound. By mimicking, rather than feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an active participant. And the game aspect should help shift your attention and make you a little less affected.
- Create a Scenario: One more method is to try to fabricate an explanation about why the person creating the sound is doing it. Imagine if someone was sniffing, maybe they are not feeling well or maybe they're upset. The idea is changing the meaning of the sound. While the sound remains identical, your reaction of it moves from being aggravating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate towards it.
