Yuletide Transforms Into a Nightmare for Those with Misophonia.
Lottie hopes for being with her family over the holidays, but says a primary method she'll endure is by wearing her earplugs - especially during the holiday meal.
For her, the holidays is a especially challenging period as the auditory triggers of other people chewing, slurping and nose-blowing make her feel extremely uncomfortable.
"I get this feeling of instant dread, my entire being will just freeze and it seems as if I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to manage these sounds."
The individual has experienced this condition for several years and for her that causes the festive season "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to certain sounds, particularly those produced by other people.
The condition is widespread amongst adults. Researchers reported almost one in five people experience it.
Typically it's noises connected to mouth, throat or facial movements that cause distress, along with examples such as chewing, breathing, and foot tapping.
Triggering Stress
The sufferer notes: "I face so many various auditory triggers at Christmas and that can be stressful and make you dread it.
"My family are aware, but I'm very aware that I don't want to upset others. It's like a constant struggle of enduring my distress to make sure everyone else is happy."
So it's clear why the most wonderful season can rapidly become a stressful ordeal for affected individuals.
Triggers that may be considered normal, like someone drinking champagne, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or eating the holiday meal can provoke a visceral feeling that can even lead to them withdrawing from gatherings.
The student, a young adult, who has experienced misophonia for over a decade, explains her strategy is to put her earphones in to manage the meal. On any other day, she would frequently go in a quiet area to avoid triggering sounds.
She explains her condition is worse around people she's most comfortable with, so Christmas is always "challenging".
"There's an expectation to spend time with family, and I desire to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"I feel as if this uncontrollable anger washes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel panicked and immediately start crying and then fight-or-flight will kick in.
"It can come across as if I'm being difficult and melodramatic, but it's tough to describe without firsthand experience."
A Few Techniques to Cope
For those affected then there are various strategies you can try to cope the situation, based on advice from clinical psychologists.
- Imagine a Different Scenario: Imagination is key. Work on connecting the particular sound bothering you with an unrelated image. So for example, try to envision someone's slurping is just a gentle stream. By doing this is to retrain your mind that the sound affecting you poses no threat.
- Use Humor: Introduce playfulness and turn the annoying sound into a challenge involving the source. As an example, if someone is crunching loudly have a go at joining in. By joining in, rather than feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an engaged person. And the challenge should help distract your brain and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Create a Scenario: A further strategy is to try to fabricate an explanation about why the person making the noise is doing it. Imagine if someone was sniffing, it could be that they're not feeling well or could be emotional. By doing this is changing the meaning of the sound. While the noise remains identical, your reaction of it moves from being aggravating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate about it.
