Yuletide Often Proves to Be a Nightmare for Misophonia Sufferers.
One young woman anticipates seeing her family during the festive period, but admits one of the only ways she'll manage to get through it is by wearing her earplugs - particularly at the holiday meal.
For the 23-year-old, the holidays is a particularly difficult period as the sounds of family members munching, drinking noisily and sniffling make her feel profound anxiety.
"I get this sensation of sudden panic, my whole body will just freeze and it seems as if I'm in danger, and I need to somehow control these triggers."
Lottie has suffered from sound sensitivity since she was 16 and for her that makes the Christmas time "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to certain sounds, notably sounds coming from other people.
It is prevalent in the UK. A study reported a significant portion of people are affected by it.
Often it's sounds associated with mouth, throat or facial movements that cause distress, as well as things like crunching, heavy breathing, and foot tapping.
A Source of Dread
The sufferer notes: "I face so many various auditory triggers at Christmas and that can be stressful and make you dread it.
"Those close to me are understanding, but I'm very aware that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a internal conflict of enduring my distress to guarantee everyone else is happy."
So it's easy to understand why the most wonderful period can rapidly become a stressful ordeal for affected individuals.
Noises that may seem harmless, like someone sipping a beverage, opening presents, or eating the holiday meal can provoke a visceral feeling that can even lead to them withdrawing from gatherings.
She, a university student, who has experienced sound sensitivity from childhood, says her strategy is to use headphones to manage the meal. Usually, she would frequently go in a quiet area to avoid distressing triggers.
She explains her condition is more pronounced around people she's closest to, so the holidays is always "challenging".
"There is pressure to socialize with loved ones, and I desire to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"It's like this sudden rage washes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel panicked and burst into tears and then the stress response will activate.
"To others it appears as if I'm being oversensitive and melodramatic, but it's tough to describe unless you've experienced it."
Several Strategies to Handle It
If you suffer then there are various strategies you can try to cope the situation, as suggested by specialists.
- Picture a Different Scenario: Creative thinking is essential. Try to associate the triggering sound bothering you with a neutral concept. So for example, try to envision someone's slurping is just a gentle stream. By doing this is to teach your brain that the sound affecting you isn't harmful.
- Try a Competition: Have a bit of fun and make the irritating noise into a challenge with the person. As an example, if someone is eating noisily try mimicking the sound. By mimicking, rather than feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an engaged person. And the competition element should help redirect your focus and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Craft a Story: Another technique is to try to invent a reason about the reason someone creating the sound is doing it. Imagine if someone was sniffing, maybe they are not feeling well or maybe they're upset. The idea is altering the perception of the sound. While the noise stays the same, your interpretation of it moves from being aggravating, to feeling a bit more accepting towards it.
