The Holiday Season Often Proves to Be a Living Hell for Those with Misophonia.
Lottie is looking forward to seeing her relatives this Christmas, but notes one of the only ways she'll manage to get through it is by wearing her noise-cancelling devices - notably for the holiday meal.
For the 23-year-old, the holidays can be a particularly difficult time as the auditory triggers of other people chewing, slurping and sniffling cause her profound anxiety.
"I get this sensation of immediate anxiety, my every muscle will just freeze and it seems as if I'm in peril, and I need to stop these triggers."
Lottie has lived with this condition since she was 16 and for her that causes the Christmas time "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to certain sounds, particularly those produced by those around you.
The condition is widespread amongst adults. A study discovered almost one in five people experience it.
Often it's noises associated with eating or drinking that cause distress, along with things like crunching, breathing, and pen clicking.
Triggering Stress
She explains: "You encounter so many various auditory triggers at Christmas and that can be anxiety inducing and make you want to avoid it.
"My relatives are supportive, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a internal conflict of enduring my distress to guarantee others enjoy themselves."
So it's obvious why the traditionally happy season can quickly turn into a source of agony for affected individuals.
Triggers that may seem harmless, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, opening presents, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can cause a strong emotional response that can even result in them avoiding social settings altogether.
She, a 21-year-old student, who has struggled with misophonia since aged 10, states her strategy is to use headphones to get through dinner. Typically, she would frequently go in a separate space to avoid problematic noises.
She notes her sensitivity is more intense around people she's most familiar with, so the holidays is always "challenging".
"There is pressure to be around loved ones, and I want to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"The sensation is this intense irritation washes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel anxious and burst into tears and then fight-or-flight will take over.
"To others it appears as if I'm being difficult and melodramatic, but it's tough to describe if you haven't felt it."
Several Strategies to Cope
If it's an issue then there are some different techniques you can use to handle the situation, according to specialists.
- Visualise a Different Scenario: Mental imagery is key. Attempt to link the particular sound bothering you with a neutral concept. So for example, try to imagine someone's slurping is just a waterfall. By doing this is to teach your brain that the sound affecting you is neutral.
- Use Humor: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a competition involving the source. For example, if someone is eating noisily attempt copying the noise. Through participation, rather than feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an willing part. And the challenge should help redirect your focus and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Develop a Narrative: Another technique is to try to create a little story about why the person making the noise is behaving that way. For example if someone was sniffing, it could be that they're not feeling well or could be emotional. By doing this is changing the meaning of the sound. While the noise doesn't change, your understanding of it shifts from being annoying, to feeling a slightly more compassionate towards it.
