Christmas Can Be a Terrifying Experience for Misophonia Sufferers.
One young woman anticipates being with her relatives this Christmas, but notes one of the only ways she'll manage to get through it is by relying on her hearing protection - especially during the main festive feast.
For the 23-year-old, the holidays can be a especially challenging season as the sounds of family members munching, sipping loudly and breathing heavily trigger intense distress.
"I get this wave of instant dread, my entire being will just freeze and it feels like I'm in peril, and I need to somehow control these noises."
Lottie has suffered from sound sensitivity from a young age and for her that causes the holiday period "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to certain sounds, especially noises produced by those around you.
It's surprisingly common amongst adults. Experts reported almost one in five people are affected by it.
Frequently it's sounds linked to bodily functions that lead to discomfort, as well as examples such as crunching, heavy breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
Triggering Stress
The sufferer notes: "There are so many assorted problematic noises at Christmas and that can be anxiety inducing and make you dread it.
"My family are aware, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a internal conflict of sacrificing my own sanity to make sure others enjoy themselves."
So it's easy to understand why the supposedly joyous time of the year can rapidly become a living nightmare for sufferers.
Noises that may be considered normal, like someone sipping a beverage, opening presents, or eating the holiday meal can provoke a visceral feeling that can even lead to them avoiding social settings altogether.
She, a university student, who has experienced misophonia from childhood, explains her strategy is to use headphones to manage the meal. Usually, she would frequently go in a separate space to minimize problematic noises.
She says her condition is more pronounced around people she's most familiar with, so Christmas is always "difficult".
"People assume you to spend time with loved ones, and I desire to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"The sensation is this uncontrollable anger takes hold, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel stressed and burst into tears and then the stress response will take over.
"To others it appears as if I'm being oversensitive and dramatic, but it's difficult to convey unless you've experienced it."
Three Ways to Handle It
If it's an issue then there are a few methods you can use to handle the situation, according to specialists.
- Imagine Something Else: Imagination is essential. Attempt to link the triggering sound affecting you with an unrelated image. For instance, try to picture someone's slurping is just a waterfall. The goal is to retrain your mind that the sound affecting you isn't harmful.
- Use Humor: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a game with the person. For instance, if someone is crunching loudly have a go at joining in. Through participation, rather than feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an engaged person. And the game aspect should help shift your attention and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Craft a Story: Another technique is to try to fabricate an explanation about why the person creating the sound is behaving that way. For example if someone was making a nasal sound, perhaps they're not at their best or maybe they're upset. By doing this is changing the meaning of the sound. Although the noise remains identical, your interpretation of it moves from being aggravating, to feeling a little more neutral about it.
