Christmas Often Proves to Be a Nightmare for Those with Misophonia.
One young woman anticipates spending time with her family over the holidays, but notes one of the only ways she'll endure is by wearing her hearing protection - particularly at the holiday meal.
In her case, the holidays often feels like a notably tough time as the noises of people eating, sipping loudly and sniffling trigger intense distress.
"I experience this wave of sudden panic, my whole body will just tense up and it feels like I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to stop these sounds."
Lottie has experienced misophonia from a young age and for her that makes the festive season "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to certain sounds, especially noises produced by those around you.
The condition is widespread in the UK. Experts found a significant portion of people suffer from it.
Often it's sounds connected to bodily functions that trigger a reaction, along with things like crunching, breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
'Anxiety Inducing'
She explains: "I face so many different triggering sounds at Christmas and that can be anxiety inducing and make you want to avoid it.
"Those close to me are supportive, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to upset others. It's like a really big battle of managing my symptoms to ensure others enjoy themselves."
So it's easy to understand why the most wonderful time of the year can transform into a living nightmare for sufferers.
Triggers that may be considered normal, like someone sipping a beverage, opening presents, or eating the holiday meal can cause a powerful reaction that can even cause them withdrawing from gatherings.
Jenna, a young adult, who has experienced sound sensitivity for over a decade, explains the approach she intends to use is to put her earphones in to cope. Usually, she would usually isolate herself in a different room to escape triggering sounds.
She explains her misophonia is more intense around people she's most comfortable with, so the holidays is always "challenging".
"There is pressure to socialize with family, and I wish to, but it's draining.
"It's like this uncontrollable anger comes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel anxious and burst into tears and then the stress response will take over.
"It can come across as if I'm being difficult and melodramatic, but it's difficult to convey if you haven't felt it."
Three Ways to Handle It
If it's an issue then there are various strategies you can try to cope the situation, as suggested by clinical psychologists.
- Imagine a Different Scenario: Mental imagery is essential. Attempt to link the specific noise bothering you with something completely different. For instance, try to picture someone's slurping is just a waterfall. By doing this is to teach your brain that the sound affecting you is neutral.
- Use Humor: Introduce playfulness and turn the annoying sound into a competition with the person. As an example, if someone is eating noisily try joining in. Through participation, instead of feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an active participant. And the game aspect should help shift your attention and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Craft a Story: Another technique is to try to fabricate an explanation about why the person creating the sound is behaving that way. So if someone was sniffing, maybe they are not at their best or could be emotional. This approach is altering the perception of the sound. Even though the sound remains identical, your reaction of it moves from being irritating, to feeling a little more neutral about it.
