The Holiday Season Often Proves to Be a Living Hell for Misophonia Sufferers.
Lottie hopes for spending time with her loved ones over the holidays, but says a key strategy she'll manage to get through it is by relying on her noise-cancelling devices - particularly at the main festive feast.
For her, Christmas can be a notably tough season as the auditory triggers of family members munching, slurping and nose-blowing trigger intense distress.
"I get this wave of instant dread, my whole body will just tighten and it seems as if I'm in danger, and I need to somehow control these triggers."
Lottie has experienced this condition since she was 16 and for her that makes the holiday period "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to certain sounds, especially noises coming from other people.
It is prevalent across the population. Researchers reported a significant portion of people are affected by it.
Often it's noises linked to bodily functions that cause distress, along with things like crunching, heavy breathing, and foot tapping.
'Anxiety Inducing'
She explains: "I face so many assorted problematic noises at Christmas and that can be daunting and make you dread it.
"Those close to me are supportive, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to upset others. It's like a really big battle of enduring my distress to make sure the event goes smoothly."
So it's clear why the supposedly joyous period can transform into a stressful ordeal for sufferers.
Sounds that may appear innocuous, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, unwrapping gifts, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can trigger a strong emotional response that can even lead to them withdrawing from gatherings.
Jenna, a university student, who has struggled with misophonia from childhood, says her strategy is to use headphones to cope. On any other day, she would frequently go in a separate space to escape distressing triggers.
She says her sensitivity is worse around people she's most familiar with, so Christmas is always "hard".
"There's an expectation to be around family, and I want to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"The sensation is this uncontrollable anger comes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel panicked and begin to weep and then fight-or-flight will activate.
"It may seem as if I'm being oversensitive and dramatic, but it's tough to describe unless you've experienced it."
A Few Techniques to Cope
If it's an issue then there are a few methods you can try to cope the situation, according to experts.
- Imagine Something Else: Imagination is crucial. Work on connecting the specific noise affecting you with a neutral concept. For instance, try to imagine someone's slurping is just a gentle stream. This technique is to teach your brain that the sound triggering you is neutral.
- Try a Competition: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a game with the culprit. For instance, if someone is crunching loudly have a go at joining in. By joining in, instead of feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an active participant. And the challenge should help distract your brain and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Craft a Story: A further strategy is to try to invent a reason about the reason someone making the noise is behaving that way. So if someone was sniffing, maybe they are not feeling well or are troubled. By doing this is altering the perception of the sound. While the sound stays the same, your understanding of it moves from being irritating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate about it.
