Christmas Often Proves to Be a Nightmare for Misophonia Sufferers.
A 23-year-old hopes for being with her loved ones during the festive period, but admits one of the only ways she'll cope is by wearing her earplugs - especially during the main festive feast.
For the 23-year-old, the holidays can be a particularly difficult period as the sounds of family members munching, slurping and nose-blowing cause her profound anxiety.
"There's this sensation of immediate anxiety, my whole body will just tense up and it feels like I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to somehow control these triggers."
Lottie has suffered from sound sensitivity for several years and for her that renders the Christmas time "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to certain sounds, especially noises produced by other people.
The condition is widespread amongst adults. Experts reported nearly 20% people suffer from it.
Typically it's noises associated with eating or drinking that cause distress, along with examples such as chewing, heavy breathing, and foot tapping.
A Source of Dread
She explains: "You encounter so many different triggering sounds at Christmas and that can be daunting and make you want to avoid it.
"Those close to me are supportive, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a internal conflict of managing my symptoms to guarantee the event goes smoothly."
So it's obvious why the supposedly joyous season can transform into a stressful ordeal for affected individuals.
Triggers that may appear innocuous, like someone sipping a beverage, unwrapping gifts, or enjoying festive food can trigger a visceral feeling that can even cause them avoiding social settings altogether.
The student, a 21-year-old student, who has experienced misophonia from childhood, states her strategy is to listen to music to cope. On any other day, she would usually isolate herself in a separate space to escape distressing triggers.
She explains her condition is more pronounced around people she's closest to, so the holidays is always "challenging".
"People assume you to be around family, and I want to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"I feel as if this sudden rage washes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel anxious and begin to weep and then the stress response will kick in.
"To others it appears as if I'm being unreasonable and melodramatic, but it's hard to explain unless you've experienced it."
Several Strategies to Manage
If you suffer then there are some different techniques you can use to handle the situation, based on advice from clinical psychologists.
- Visualise Something Else: Creative thinking is essential. Work on connecting the specific noise bothering you with something completely different. For instance, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. This technique is to retrain your mind that the sound triggering you poses no threat.
- Try a Competition: Have a bit of fun and turn the annoying sound into a challenge involving the source. For instance, if someone is eating noisily try copying the noise. By joining in, rather than feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an willing part. And the competition element should help distract your brain and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Craft a Story: A further strategy is to try to create a little story about why the person creating the sound is having to make that sound. Imagine if someone was sniffing, it could be that they're not feeling well or maybe they're upset. This approach is changing the meaning of the sound. While the noise stays the same, your understanding of it shifts from being annoying, to feeling a slightly more compassionate about it.
