Christmas Can Be a Terrifying Experience for Those with Misophonia.
Lottie hopes for spending time with her loved ones this Christmas, but admits a key strategy she'll endure is by using her hearing protection - especially during the main festive feast.
For her, Christmas is a particularly difficult period as the noises of family members munching, drinking noisily and sniffling make her feel profound anxiety.
"There's this feeling of sudden panic, my whole body will just tighten and it seems as if I'm in peril, and I need to manage these sounds."
The individual has lived with misophonia from a young age and for her that makes the festive season "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to certain sounds, notably sounds coming from other people.
It is prevalent amongst adults. A study reported a significant portion of people are affected by it.
Frequently it's sounds connected to eating or drinking that lead to discomfort, including things like crunching, heavy breathing, and pen clicking.
Triggering Stress
The sufferer notes: "You encounter so many assorted problematic noises 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 make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a really big battle of sacrificing my own sanity to ensure others enjoy themselves."
So it's obvious why the most wonderful time of the year can transform into a stressful ordeal for sufferers.
Noises that may be considered normal, like someone drinking champagne, opening presents, or enjoying festive food can provoke a visceral feeling that can even cause them skipping events entirely.
The student, a university student, who has experienced sound sensitivity since aged 10, explains currently her plan is to listen to music to manage the meal. Usually, she would frequently go in a quiet area to escape problematic noises.
She explains her misophonia is more pronounced around people she's most familiar with, so the holidays is always "difficult".
"People assume you to be around family, and I wish to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"It's like this uncontrollable anger takes hold, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel stressed and begin to weep and then panic will take over.
"It can come across as if I'm being difficult and dramatic, but it's hard to explain if you haven't felt it."
A Few Techniques to Handle It
If it's an issue then there are various strategies you can use to handle the situation, according to experts.
- Imagine an Alternative: Creative thinking is crucial. Attempt to link the particular sound affecting you with an unrelated image. So for example, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a waterfall. By doing this is to help your brain learn that the sound triggering you poses no threat.
- Try a Competition: Have a bit of fun and make the irritating noise into a game involving the source. For instance, if someone is eating noisily attempt copying the noise. Through participation, rather than feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an active participant. And the game aspect should help distract your brain and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Develop a Narrative: A further strategy is to try to fabricate an explanation about why the person making the noise is having to make that sound. Imagine if someone was making a nasal sound, it could be that they're not in good health or maybe they're upset. By doing this is changing the meaning of the sound. While the noise doesn't change, your interpretation of it changes from being irritating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate about it.
