The Holiday Season Can Be a Nightmare for Those with Misophonia.
Lottie hopes for seeing her loved ones over the holidays, but admits a key strategy she'll manage to get through it is by wearing her earplugs - notably for the holiday meal.
In her case, Christmas can be a particularly difficult time as the noises of people eating, sipping loudly and nose-blowing trigger intense distress.
"I get this feeling of immediate anxiety, my every muscle will just freeze and it as though I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to somehow control these sounds."
She has suffered from misophonia from a young age and for her that makes the holiday period "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to certain sounds, especially noises produced by individuals.
The condition is widespread amongst adults. Experts found nearly 20% people experience it.
Often it's noises associated with bodily functions that lead to discomfort, along with things like chewing, heavy breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
A Source of Dread
Lottie says: "There are so many different triggering sounds at Christmas and that can be anxiety inducing and make you fear it.
"My family are aware, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to upset others. It's like a really big battle of sacrificing my own sanity to ensure others enjoy themselves."
So it's obvious why the traditionally happy time of the year can transform into a source of agony for affected individuals.
Sounds that may appear innocuous, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, unwrapping gifts, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can cause a powerful reaction that can even result in them avoiding social settings altogether.
She, a young adult, who has struggled with misophonia from childhood, explains the approach she intends to use is to put her earphones in to get through dinner. Typically, she would often retreat in a separate space to escape problematic noises.
She notes her sensitivity is worse around people she's closest to, so Christmas is always "difficult".
"There's an expectation to socialize with loved ones, and I wish to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"I feel as if this uncontrollable anger takes hold, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel stressed and burst into tears and then panic will kick in.
"To others it appears as if I'm being oversensitive and melodramatic, but it's hard to explain without firsthand experience."
Three Ways to Handle It
If it's an issue then there are various strategies you can use to handle the situation, according to specialists.
- Picture Something Else: Imagination is essential. Attempt to link the particular sound affecting you with an unrelated image. So for example, try to envision someone's slurping is just a gentle stream. The goal is to teach your brain that the sound affecting you is neutral.
- Make it a Game: Use lightheartedness and make the irritating noise into a game involving the source. For example, if someone is eating noisily attempt joining in. By mimicking, instead of feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an engaged person. And the competition element should help shift your attention and make you a little less affected.
- Create a Scenario: A further strategy is to try to create a little story about the reason someone creating the sound is behaving that way. Imagine if someone was making a nasal sound, it could be that they're not in good health or are troubled. By doing this is changing the meaning of the sound. While the sound doesn't change, your interpretation of it changes from being annoying, to feeling a slightly more compassionate towards it.
