The Holiday Season Can Be a Living Hell for Those with Misophonia.
One young woman anticipates seeing her family during the festive period, but admits a key strategy she'll cope is by relying on her hearing protection - notably for Christmas dinner.
In her case, Christmas can be a especially challenging time as the noises of other people chewing, drinking noisily and sniffling trigger extremely uncomfortable.
"I experience this feeling of sudden panic, my every muscle will just tighten and it as though I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to stop these triggers."
The individual has experienced sound sensitivity for several years and for her that renders the holiday period "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to certain sounds, particularly those made by those around you.
The condition is widespread across the population. Researchers found almost one in five people are affected by it.
Frequently it's noises associated with bodily functions that cause distress, along with examples such as crunching, breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
'Anxiety Inducing'
Lottie says: "I face so many different triggering sounds at the holidays and that can be anxiety inducing and make you fear it.
"My family are aware, 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 everyone else is happy."
So it's clear why the traditionally happy period can rapidly become a living nightmare for affected individuals.
Sounds that may appear innocuous, like someone sipping a beverage, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or enjoying festive food can trigger a visceral feeling that can even result in them withdrawing from gatherings.
The student, a university student, who has struggled with misophonia since aged 10, explains the approach she intends to use is to listen to music to get through dinner. Typically, she would usually isolate herself in a quiet area to minimize problematic noises.
She explains her sensitivity is more intense around people she's closest to, so the holidays is always "difficult".
"People assume you to spend time with family, and I want to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"It's like this sudden rage washes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel panicked and immediately start crying and then fight-or-flight will activate.
"It can come across as if I'm being difficult and overreacting, but it's tough to describe unless you've experienced it."
Three Ways to Manage
For those affected then there are some different techniques you can attempt to manage the situation, based on advice from clinical psychologists.
- Visualise a Different Scenario: Creative thinking is crucial. Try to associate the particular sound bothering you with something completely different. For instance, try to imagine someone's slurping is just a waterfall. By doing this is to retrain your mind that the sound affecting you is neutral.
- Make it a Game: Use lightheartedness and turn the annoying sound into a game with the person. 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 game aspect should help redirect your focus and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Craft a Story: A further strategy is to try to create a little story about why the person making the noise is having to make that sound. For example if someone was sniffing, maybe they are not feeling well or could be emotional. By doing this is altering the perception of the sound. While the noise stays the same, your reaction of it moves from being irritating, to feeling a bit more accepting towards it.
