Yuletide Can Be a Nightmare for Misophonia Sufferers.
Lottie hopes for seeing her family this Christmas, but admits a key strategy she'll endure is by relying on her noise-cancelling devices - especially during the main festive feast.
For her, this time of year can be a notably tough season as the auditory triggers of people eating, drinking noisily and nose-blowing cause her profound anxiety.
"I experience this wave of instant dread, my whole body will just tighten and it seems as if I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to somehow control these noises."
Lottie has lived with sound sensitivity from a young age and for her that makes the festive season "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to specific noises, notably sounds coming from individuals.
It is prevalent amongst adults. Experts found almost one in five people suffer from it.
Typically it's sounds linked to mouth, throat or facial movements that trigger a reaction, including things like crunching, breathing, and pen clicking.
'Anxiety Inducing'
Lottie says: "I face so many various auditory triggers at Christmas and that can be stressful and make you dread it.
"My relatives are aware, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a internal conflict of sacrificing my own sanity to make sure everyone else is happy."
So it's clear why the most wonderful time of the year can quickly turn into a living nightmare for those with the condition.
Sounds that may seem harmless, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, opening presents, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can provoke a powerful reaction that can even cause them withdrawing from gatherings.
Jenna, a university student, who has struggled with misophonia from childhood, says currently her plan is to listen to music to get through dinner. Typically, she would usually isolate herself in a quiet area to avoid distressing triggers.
She notes her condition is more pronounced around people she's most familiar with, so the holidays is always "difficult".
"People assume you to socialize with loved ones, and I wish to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"I feel as if this uncontrollable anger washes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel anxious and begin to weep and then panic will activate.
"To others it appears as if I'm being difficult and melodramatic, but it's difficult to convey unless you've experienced it."
Several Strategies to Manage
For those affected then there are various strategies you can try to cope the situation, according to clinical psychologists.
- Picture a Different Scenario: Mental imagery is crucial. Try to associate the particular sound affecting you with an unrelated image. For instance, try to envision someone's noisy drinking is just a sink draining water. By doing this 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 game involving the source. As an example, if someone is eating noisily attempt copying the noise. By mimicking, instead of feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an active participant. And the challenge should help redirect your focus and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Develop a Narrative: A further strategy is to try to invent a reason about why the person creating the sound is having to make that sound. So if someone was sniffing, maybe they are not in good health or could be emotional. This approach is re-framing the context of the sound. Although the sound stays the same, your interpretation of it moves from being irritating, to feeling a little more neutral about it.
