The Holiday Season Transforms Into a Terrifying Experience for Misophonia Sufferers.
A 23-year-old anticipates being with her family over the holidays, but says a primary method she'll cope is by wearing her noise-cancelling devices - particularly at the main festive feast.
In her case, this time of year often feels like a notably tough season as the sounds of other people chewing, sipping loudly and sniffling trigger profound anxiety.
"There's this feeling of immediate anxiety, my every muscle will just tense up and it seems as if I'm in peril, and I need to stop these sounds."
Lottie has lived with sound sensitivity for several years and for her that causes the Christmas time "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to particular auditory triggers, particularly those produced by individuals.
It is prevalent in the UK. A study reported almost one in five people suffer from it.
Frequently it's sounds linked to bodily functions that lead to discomfort, along with examples such as crunching, heavy breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
Triggering Stress
Lottie says: "I face so many various auditory triggers at the holidays and that can be stressful and make you fear it.
"My relatives are aware, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a really big battle of enduring my distress to ensure everyone else is happy."
So it's obvious why the most wonderful time of the year can quickly turn into a source of agony for sufferers.
Sounds that may be considered normal, like someone drinking champagne, opening presents, or eating the holiday meal can trigger a strong emotional response that can even cause them skipping events entirely.
The student, a young adult, who has struggled with misophonia from childhood, says the approach she intends to use is to use headphones to get through dinner. On any other day, she would usually isolate herself in a quiet area to avoid triggering sounds.
She notes her sensitivity is more pronounced around people she's closest to, so the holidays is always "challenging".
"There's an expectation to socialize with loved ones, and I want to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"The sensation is this uncontrollable anger comes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel panicked and burst into tears and then fight-or-flight will kick in.
"It may seem as if I'm being difficult and dramatic, but it's tough to describe unless you've experienced it."
Three Ways to Handle It
If you suffer then there are some different techniques you can attempt to manage the situation, according to specialists.
- Picture Something Else: Creative thinking is essential. Attempt to link the triggering sound causing distress with an unrelated image. As an illustration, try to picture someone's noisy drinking is just a waterfall. By doing this is to retrain your mind that the sound triggering you poses no threat.
- Make it a Game: Introduce playfulness and turn the annoying sound into a competition with the culprit. For instance, if someone is crunching loudly try copying the noise. Through participation, rather than feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an willing part. And the competition element should help distract your brain and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Craft a Story: Another technique is to try to create a little story about the reason someone making the noise is having to make that sound. For example if someone was making a nasal sound, it could be that they're not feeling well or could be emotional. The idea is altering the perception of the sound. Even though the sound stays the same, your understanding of it shifts from being aggravating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate towards it.