Christmas Can Be a Living Hell for Those with Misophonia.
Lottie is looking forward to being with her relatives over the holidays, but admits a key strategy she'll cope is by relying on her hearing protection - notably for Christmas dinner.
In her case, the holidays can be a notably tough period as the auditory triggers of other people chewing, sipping loudly and breathing heavily cause her intense distress.
"I experience this feeling of sudden panic, my every muscle will just tense up and it feels like I'm in danger, and I need to somehow control these triggers."
The individual has lived with misophonia for several years and for her that renders the holiday period "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to specific noises, notably sounds coming from individuals.
The condition is widespread in the UK. Researchers discovered a significant portion of people are affected by it.
Frequently it's sounds associated with eating or drinking that trigger a reaction, along with examples such as chewing, breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
'Anxiety Inducing'
The sufferer notes: "There are so many assorted problematic noises at Christmas and that can be anxiety inducing and make you want to avoid it.
"Those close to me are aware, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to upset others. It's like a internal conflict of sacrificing my own sanity to guarantee others enjoy themselves."
So it's obvious why the traditionally happy time of the year can transform into a source of agony for those with the condition.
Noises that may be considered normal, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can provoke a strong emotional response that can even lead to them skipping events entirely.
She, a 21-year-old student, who has dealt with sound sensitivity for over a decade, states the approach she intends to use is to use headphones to cope. Usually, she would usually isolate herself in a different room to escape triggering sounds.
She says her misophonia is more intense around people she's most familiar with, so Christmas is always "difficult".
"People assume you to spend time with family, and I wish to, but it's draining.
"The sensation is this intense irritation comes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel stressed and immediately start crying and then the stress response will activate.
"It may seem as if I'm being difficult and dramatic, but it's tough to describe without firsthand experience."
Several Strategies to Manage
If it's an issue then there are some different techniques you can use to handle the situation, based on advice from experts.
- Picture an Alternative: Imagination is essential. Try to associate the triggering sound causing distress with something completely different. For instance, try to envision someone's slurping is just a sink draining water. This technique 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 involving the source. For example, if someone is eating noisily try copying the noise. By mimicking, rather than feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an willing part. And the challenge should help shift your attention and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Create a Scenario: One more method is to try to create a little story about why the person making the noise is having to make that sound. For example if someone was sniffing, it could be that they're not feeling well or maybe they're upset. By doing this is altering the perception of the sound. Although the sound stays the same, your reaction of it changes from being irritating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate about it.
