The Holiday Season Can Be a Nightmare for Misophonia Sufferers.
Lottie anticipates being with her family over the holidays, but notes a key strategy she'll manage to get through it is by relying on her noise-cancelling devices - notably for the holiday meal.
For her, Christmas can be a especially challenging time as the noises of other people chewing, drinking noisily and nose-blowing make her feel extremely uncomfortable.
"I get this sensation of sudden panic, my every muscle will just freeze and it feels like I'm in danger, and I need to stop these triggers."
She has lived with sound sensitivity from a young age and for her that renders the festive season "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to specific noises, particularly those produced by those around you.
The condition is widespread in the UK. A study discovered a significant portion of people experience it.
Typically it's sounds connected to bodily functions that cause distress, as well as examples such as crunching, heavy breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
'Anxiety Inducing'
Lottie says: "I face so many assorted problematic noises at the holidays and that can be stressful and make you dread it.
"My family are understanding, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to upset others. It's like a internal conflict of enduring my distress to make sure the event goes smoothly."
So it's easy to understand why the traditionally happy season can quickly turn into a living nightmare for affected individuals.
Sounds that may appear innocuous, like someone sipping a beverage, unwrapping gifts, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can provoke a visceral feeling that can even cause them skipping events entirely.
She, a young adult, who has struggled with misophonia for over a decade, explains her strategy is to listen to music to cope. On any other day, she would frequently go in a quiet area to avoid distressing triggers.
She notes her condition is more intense around people she's most comfortable with, so the holidays is always "hard".
"There's an expectation to socialize with family, and I wish to, but it's draining.
"I feel as if this intense irritation comes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel stressed and immediately start crying and then panic will take over.
"It can come across as if I'm being unreasonable and overreacting, but it's tough to describe unless you've experienced it."
Several Strategies to Handle It
If it's an issue then there are a few methods you can use to handle the situation, based on advice from experts.
- Visualise Something Else: Creative thinking is key. Work on connecting the specific noise affecting you with something completely different. So for example, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a waterfall. The goal is to help your brain learn that the sound affecting you is neutral.
- Use Humor: Use lightheartedness and turn the annoying sound into a competition with the person. As an example, if someone is eating noisily have a go at joining in. By joining in, rather than feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an engaged person. And the challenge should help distract your brain and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Create a Scenario: A further strategy is to try to fabricate an explanation about why the person making the noise is doing it. So if someone was sniffing, maybe they are not in good health or could be emotional. This approach is altering the perception of the sound. Although the sound doesn't change, your reaction of it shifts from being aggravating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate towards it.
