Christmas Often Proves to Be a Nightmare for Misophonia Sufferers.
One young woman is looking forward to being with her family over the holidays, but notes a primary method she'll manage to get through it is by wearing her earplugs - notably for the main festive feast.
For the 23-year-old, the holidays often feels like a particularly difficult period as the noises of other people chewing, sipping loudly and nose-blowing make her feel profound anxiety.
"There's this wave of immediate anxiety, my entire being will just freeze and it seems as if I'm in peril, and I need to stop these triggers."
Lottie has suffered from this condition for several years and for her that causes the Christmas time "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to particular auditory triggers, notably sounds produced by those around you.
It's surprisingly common in the UK. Researchers reported a significant portion of people suffer from it.
Frequently it's noises connected to mouth, throat or facial movements that trigger a reaction, including examples such as chewing, breathing, and pen clicking.
Triggering Stress
Lottie says: "I face so many various auditory triggers at Christmas and that can be stressful and make you want to avoid it.
"My family are aware, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a internal conflict of sacrificing my own sanity to guarantee others enjoy themselves."
So it's clear why the supposedly joyous period can transform into a stressful ordeal for those with the condition.
Sounds that may seem harmless, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, opening presents, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can cause a powerful reaction that can even lead to them skipping events entirely.
The student, a university student, who has dealt with misophonia for over a decade, explains her strategy is to put her earphones in to get through dinner. Typically, she would often retreat in a different room to escape triggering sounds.
She says her misophonia is worse around people she's closest to, so the holidays is always "hard".
"There's an expectation to socialize with family, and I want to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"It's like this intense irritation washes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel stressed and immediately start crying and then fight-or-flight will activate.
"To others it appears as if I'm being oversensitive and dramatic, but it's difficult to convey if you haven't felt it."
Several Strategies to Handle It
For those affected then there are various strategies you can use to handle the situation, based on advice from clinical psychologists.
- Visualise Something Else: Mental imagery is essential. Attempt to link the specific noise bothering you with a neutral concept. As an illustration, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a waterfall. This technique is to help your brain learn that the sound triggering you isn't harmful.
- Try a Competition: Introduce playfulness and turn the annoying sound into a competition with the culprit. For example, if someone is eating noisily try joining in. Through participation, instead of feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an willing part. And the game aspect should help redirect your focus and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Craft a Story: One more method is to try to create a little story about why the person making the noise is doing it. Imagine if someone was making a nasal sound, perhaps they're not in good health or could be emotional. The idea is changing the meaning of the sound. Even though the noise stays the same, your interpretation of it shifts from being irritating, to feeling a bit more accepting towards it.
