Christmas Transforms Into a Living Hell for Misophonia Sufferers.
Lottie anticipates spending time with her family this Christmas, but admits a key strategy she'll endure is by wearing her earplugs - particularly at Christmas dinner.
In her case, the holidays is a especially challenging period as the sounds of people eating, drinking noisily and breathing heavily make her feel intense distress.
"I experience this feeling of instant dread, my entire being will just freeze and it feels like I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to somehow control these triggers."
She has suffered from this condition from a young age and for her that renders the holiday period "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to specific noises, notably sounds made by individuals.
It is prevalent across the population. A study discovered a significant portion of people suffer from it.
Typically it's sounds associated with mouth, throat or facial movements that trigger a reaction, including examples such as chewing, heavy breathing, and foot tapping.
A Source of Dread
She explains: "I face so many different triggering sounds at the holidays and that can be anxiety inducing and make you fear it.
"Those close to me are understanding, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a constant struggle of sacrificing my own sanity to ensure others enjoy themselves."
So it's clear why the most wonderful season can quickly turn into a source of agony for affected individuals.
Triggers that may be considered normal, like someone drinking champagne, unwrapping gifts, or eating the holiday meal can cause a visceral feeling that can even result in them withdrawing from gatherings.
She, a 21-year-old student, who has struggled with misophonia for over a decade, states her strategy is to listen to music to manage the meal. Usually, she would frequently go in a separate space to avoid distressing triggers.
She says her misophonia is more pronounced around people she's most familiar with, so the holidays is always "difficult".
"There's an expectation to socialize with family, and I wish to, but it's draining.
"The sensation is this uncontrollable anger takes hold, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel anxious and begin to weep and then the stress response will take over.
"It can come across as if I'm being difficult and dramatic, but it's difficult to convey unless you've experienced it."
Several Strategies to Handle It
If you suffer then there are some different techniques you can try to cope the situation, based on advice from experts.
- Picture a Different Scenario: Creative thinking is essential. Work on connecting the particular sound affecting you with something completely different. For instance, try to picture someone's slurping is just a waterfall. This technique is to help your brain learn that the sound triggering you poses no threat.
- Try a Competition: Use lightheartedness and make the irritating noise into a challenge involving the source. For instance, if someone is eating noisily have a go at joining in. Through participation, instead of feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an engaged person. And the game aspect should help distract your brain and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Craft a Story: One more method is to try to invent a reason about why the person creating the sound is having to make that sound. So if someone was sniffing, maybe they are not at their best or maybe they're upset. This approach is re-framing the context of the sound. Although the sound stays the same, your interpretation of it moves from being annoying, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.