Yuletide Can Be a Living Hell for Misophonia Sufferers.
Lottie anticipates seeing her loved ones over the holidays, but notes a key strategy she'll cope is by using her noise-cancelling devices - particularly at the main festive feast.
In her case, Christmas can be a especially challenging time as the sounds of family members munching, sipping loudly and sniffling make her feel profound anxiety.
"There's this sensation of immediate anxiety, my every muscle will just tense up and it as though I'm in danger, and I need to manage these noises."
She has experienced misophonia from a young age and for her that causes the Christmas time "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to certain sounds, particularly those coming from individuals.
It's surprisingly common across the population. Experts reported almost one in five people experience it.
Typically it's noises connected to mouth, throat or facial movements that cause distress, along with things like chewing, breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
Triggering Stress
The sufferer notes: "There are so many assorted problematic noises at Christmas and that can be stressful and make you fear it.
"Those close to me are aware, but I'm very aware that I don't want to upset others. It's like a really big battle of managing my symptoms to guarantee the event goes smoothly."
So it's clear why the traditionally happy season can transform into a stressful ordeal for affected individuals.
Triggers that may appear innocuous, like someone sipping a beverage, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or eating the holiday meal can provoke a strong emotional response that can even result in them skipping events entirely.
She, a young adult, who has experienced misophonia from childhood, explains the approach she intends to use is to listen to music to manage the meal. Usually, she would usually isolate herself in a different room to escape problematic noises.
She explains her sensitivity is more pronounced around people she's most familiar with, so Christmas is always "hard".
"There is pressure to spend time with loved ones, and I want to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"I feel as if this sudden rage comes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel stressed and burst into tears and then panic will activate.
"To others it appears as if I'm being unreasonable and melodramatic, but it's tough to describe without firsthand experience."
Three Ways to Manage
For those affected then there are a few methods you can try to cope the situation, according to clinical psychologists.
- Visualise a Different Scenario: Creative thinking is crucial. Try to associate the specific noise bothering you with an unrelated image. So for example, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a sink draining water. This technique is to retrain your mind that the sound affecting you is neutral.
- Try a Competition: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a game with the person. For example, if someone is crunching loudly attempt copying the noise. Through participation, rather than feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an willing part. And the game aspect should help redirect your focus and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Craft a Story: A further strategy is to try to fabricate an explanation about the reason someone creating the sound is having to make that sound. For example if someone was sniffing, it could be that they're not in good health or are troubled. The idea is changing the meaning of the sound. Even though the sound doesn't change, your interpretation of it moves from being aggravating, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.