Christmas Transforms Into a Terrifying Experience for Those with Misophonia.
A 23-year-old anticipates seeing her family during the festive period, but says one of the only ways she'll cope is by using her noise-cancelling devices - particularly at Christmas dinner.
In her case, the holidays often feels like a notably tough time as the auditory triggers of family members munching, sipping loudly and sniffling make her feel extremely uncomfortable.
"I experience this sensation of instant dread, my whole body will just freeze and it seems as if I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to manage these sounds."
Lottie has lived with this condition since she was 16 and for her that makes the Christmas time "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to certain sounds, particularly those made by those around you.
It is prevalent across the population. Experts found almost one in five people experience it.
Typically it's noises connected to eating or drinking that cause distress, including things like chewing, heavy breathing, and foot tapping.
A Source of Dread
She explains: "I face so many assorted problematic noises at Christmas and that can be stressful and make you want to avoid it.
"My relatives are understanding, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to upset others. It's like a constant struggle of sacrificing my own sanity to guarantee everyone else is happy."
So it's easy to understand why the traditionally happy period can quickly turn into a source of agony for affected individuals.
Triggers that may seem harmless, like someone sipping a beverage, opening presents, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can trigger a visceral feeling that can even lead to them withdrawing from gatherings.
Jenna, a young adult, who has dealt with sound sensitivity from childhood, explains the approach she intends to use is to put her earphones in to manage the meal. Typically, she would frequently go in a quiet area to minimize triggering sounds.
She says her sensitivity is more intense around people she's most familiar with, so Christmas is always "challenging".
"There's an expectation to socialize with loved ones, and I desire to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"I feel as if this sudden rage washes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel stressed and burst into tears and then panic will activate.
"It may seem as if I'm being unreasonable and dramatic, but it's difficult to convey unless you've experienced it."
Several Strategies to Cope
If you suffer then there are a few methods you can try to cope the situation, as suggested by clinical psychologists.
- Visualise Something Else: Mental imagery is crucial. Attempt to link the triggering sound bothering you with an unrelated image. So for example, try to envision someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. This technique is to help your brain learn that the sound affecting you is neutral.
- Try a Competition: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a game involving the source. As an example, if someone is crunching loudly have a go at mimicking the sound. By mimicking, instead of feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an active participant. And the challenge should help shift your attention and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Create a Scenario: One more method is to try to fabricate an explanation about why the person making the noise is having to make that sound. For example if someone was making a nasal sound, maybe they are not feeling well or are troubled. By doing this is re-framing the context of the sound. While the sound doesn't change, your reaction of it moves from being annoying, to feeling a little more neutral towards it.
