Christmas Often Proves to Be a Living Hell for Misophonia Sufferers.
A 23-year-old anticipates spending time with her loved ones during the festive period, but admits a primary method she'll endure is by wearing her earplugs - especially during the holiday meal.
In her case, the holidays is a especially challenging time as the noises of people eating, slurping and breathing heavily make her feel extremely uncomfortable.
"There's this wave of sudden panic, my entire being will just freeze and it feels like I'm in peril, and I need to stop these sounds."
She has lived with sound sensitivity since she was 16 and for her that causes the festive season "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to specific noises, especially noises produced by other people.
The condition is widespread in the UK. A study discovered nearly 20% people are affected by it.
Frequently it's sounds connected to mouth, throat or facial movements that lead to discomfort, including examples such as chewing, heavy breathing, and pen clicking.
Triggering Stress
Lottie says: "You encounter so many various auditory triggers at the holidays and that can be anxiety inducing and make you want to avoid it.
"My family are aware, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to upset others. It's like a internal conflict of managing my symptoms to guarantee others enjoy themselves."
So it's clear why the most wonderful time of the year can rapidly become a stressful ordeal for affected individuals.
Sounds that may seem harmless, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, unwrapping gifts, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can cause a visceral feeling that can even lead to them skipping events entirely.
The student, a 21-year-old student, who has struggled with misophonia since aged 10, says the approach she intends to use is to listen to music to cope. Typically, she would usually isolate herself in a quiet area to escape distressing triggers.
She says her condition is more pronounced around people she's closest to, so the holidays is always "difficult".
"There's an expectation to spend time with loved ones, and I want to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"The sensation is this intense irritation comes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel stressed and immediately start crying and then panic will kick in.
"It can come across as if I'm being difficult and overreacting, but it's tough to describe if you haven't felt it."
Three Ways to Cope
If it's an issue then there are a few methods you can try to cope the situation, according to clinical psychologists.
- Visualise a Different Scenario: Mental imagery is essential. Attempt to link the triggering sound bothering you with something completely different. So for example, try to envision someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. This technique is to help your brain learn that the sound triggering you isn't harmful.
- Try a Competition: Use lightheartedness and turn the annoying sound into a competition involving the source. For example, if someone is eating noisily attempt mimicking the sound. Through participation, instead of 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 a little less affected.
- Create a Scenario: A further strategy is to try to create a little story about the reason someone making the noise is behaving that way. So if someone was sniffing, perhaps they're not in good health or maybe they're upset. This approach is altering the perception of the sound. Although the sound doesn't change, your reaction of it shifts from being annoying, to feeling a slightly more compassionate about it.
