Christmas Can Be a Terrifying Experience for Those with Misophonia.
Lottie is looking forward to spending time with her family this Christmas, but admits one of the only ways she'll manage to get through it is by wearing her noise-cancelling devices - especially during Christmas dinner.
In her case, the holidays is a notably tough time as the auditory triggers of family members munching, drinking noisily and sniffling trigger extremely uncomfortable.
"There's this sensation of immediate anxiety, my entire being will just tighten and it as though I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to somehow control these triggers."
She has experienced sound sensitivity for several years and for her that makes the holiday period "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to certain sounds, particularly those coming from individuals.
The condition is widespread in the UK. Researchers found nearly 20% people are affected by it.
Frequently it's noises connected to eating or drinking that lead to discomfort, including examples such as chewing, heavy breathing, and pen clicking.
A Source of Dread
She explains: "You encounter so many various auditory triggers at the holidays and that can be daunting and make you want to avoid it.
"My family are aware, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to upset others. It's like a internal conflict of sacrificing my own sanity to make sure everyone else is happy."
So it's obvious why the most wonderful time of the year can quickly turn into a living nightmare for those with the condition.
Triggers that may appear innocuous, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, unwrapping gifts, or enjoying festive food can trigger a powerful reaction that can even lead to them withdrawing from gatherings.
Jenna, a university student, who has dealt with sound sensitivity since aged 10, says the approach she intends to use is to use headphones to get through dinner. Typically, she would often retreat in a quiet area to escape distressing triggers.
She explains her condition is more intense around people she's closest to, so Christmas is always "hard".
"There's an expectation to socialize with family, and I want to, but it's draining.
"It's like this uncontrollable anger comes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel panicked and immediately start crying and then fight-or-flight will kick in.
"It may seem as if I'm being unreasonable and dramatic, but it's tough to describe without firsthand experience."
Several Strategies to Manage
For those affected then there are a few methods you can use to handle the situation, based on advice from experts.
- Visualise Something Else: Mental imagery is essential. Work on connecting the specific noise affecting you with a neutral concept. So for example, try to imagine someone's slurping is just a sink draining water. The goal is to retrain your mind that the sound affecting you is neutral.
- Make it a Game: Introduce playfulness and turn the annoying sound into a challenge involving the source. For instance, if someone is eating noisily try joining in. Through participation, rather than feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an engaged person. And the game aspect should help redirect your focus and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Develop a Narrative: Another technique is to try to invent a reason about the reason someone making the noise is doing it. Imagine if someone was making a nasal sound, it could be that they're not at their best or could be emotional. This approach is changing the meaning of the sound. Although the noise doesn't change, your interpretation of it shifts from being aggravating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate towards it.
