Christmas Transforms Into a Terrifying Experience for Misophonia Sufferers.
Lottie anticipates being with her relatives this Christmas, but notes a key strategy she'll cope is by wearing her hearing protection - notably for the holiday meal.
In her case, this time of year can be a notably tough period as the sounds of people eating, drinking noisily and sniffling cause her intense distress.
"I experience this feeling of immediate anxiety, my every muscle will just tense up and it as though I'm in danger, and I need to manage these sounds."
Lottie has suffered from sound sensitivity since she was 16 and for her that renders the festive season "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to specific noises, particularly those produced by individuals.
It is prevalent in the UK. Experts reported a significant portion of people experience it.
Often it's noises linked to bodily functions that lead to discomfort, as well as things like crunching, heavy breathing, and pen clicking.
'Anxiety Inducing'
She explains: "There are so many different triggering sounds at Christmas and that can be daunting and make you want to avoid it.
"My family are supportive, but I'm very aware that I don't want to upset others. It's like a constant struggle of sacrificing my own sanity to make sure everyone else is happy."
So it's easy to understand why the supposedly joyous period can quickly turn into a living nightmare for sufferers.
Triggers that may seem harmless, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, unwrapping gifts, or eating the holiday meal can trigger a strong emotional response that can even cause them avoiding social settings altogether.
She, a university student, who has struggled with misophonia since aged 10, explains currently her plan is to use headphones to cope. Usually, she would often retreat in a quiet area to avoid triggering sounds.
She says her condition is more pronounced around people she's most comfortable with, so Christmas is always "hard".
"There's an expectation to spend time with loved ones, and I wish to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"The sensation is this sudden rage washes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel stressed and burst into tears and then the stress response 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 Handle It
If you suffer then there are a few methods you can try to cope the situation, based on advice from clinical psychologists.
- Picture an Alternative: Creative thinking is crucial. Work on connecting the specific noise affecting you with a neutral concept. For instance, try to envision someone's slurping is just a gentle stream. This technique is to help your brain learn that the sound triggering you poses no threat.
- Try a Competition: Use lightheartedness and turn the annoying sound into a challenge involving the source. As an example, if someone is crunching loudly attempt joining in. Through participation, rather than feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an engaged person. And the competition element should help shift your attention and make you a little less affected.
- Craft a Story: One more method is to try to invent a reason about the reason someone making the noise is behaving that way. So if someone was making a nasal sound, perhaps they're not at their best or maybe they're upset. The idea is changing the meaning of the sound. Although the noise remains identical, your understanding of it moves from being irritating, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.
