Yuletide Often Proves to Be a Living Hell for Those with Misophonia.
Lottie hopes for seeing her relatives over the holidays, but admits a key strategy she'll manage to get through it is by relying on her hearing protection - notably for the holiday meal.
For the 23-year-old, Christmas often feels like a particularly difficult period as the noises of family members munching, slurping and nose-blowing make her feel intense distress.
"I get this wave of immediate anxiety, my whole body will just tighten and it as though I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to somehow control these triggers."
The individual has suffered from this condition from a young age and for her that causes the festive season "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to particular auditory triggers, particularly those coming from those around you.
The condition is widespread across the population. Experts found a significant portion of people are affected by it.
Typically it's sounds connected to eating or drinking that cause distress, along with examples such as crunching, heavy breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
A Source of Dread
The sufferer notes: "There are so many different triggering sounds at the holidays and that can be stressful and make you want to avoid it.
"Those close to me are aware, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to upset others. It's like a really big battle of managing my symptoms to make sure everyone else is happy."
So it's clear why the most wonderful period can rapidly become a stressful ordeal for affected individuals.
Noises that may be considered normal, like someone sipping a beverage, unwrapping gifts, or eating the holiday meal can provoke a strong emotional response that can even result in them avoiding social settings altogether.
The student, a university student, who has experienced misophonia since aged 10, says currently her plan is to use headphones to manage the meal. Usually, she would often retreat in a different room to escape distressing triggers.
She notes her misophonia is more intense around people she's most comfortable with, so Christmas is always "challenging".
"There is pressure to be around family, and I wish to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"It's like this uncontrollable anger washes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel panicked and begin to weep and then fight-or-flight will activate.
"It may seem as if I'm being unreasonable and melodramatic, but it's difficult to convey without firsthand experience."
Several Strategies to Cope
For those affected then there are a few methods you can attempt to manage the situation, based on advice from clinical psychologists.
- Imagine Something Else: Creative thinking is essential. Attempt to link the triggering sound bothering you with an unrelated image. As an illustration, try to imagine someone's slurping is just a gentle stream. By doing this is to teach your brain that the sound affecting you poses no threat.
- Try a Competition: Have a bit of fun and turn the annoying sound into a game with the culprit. For example, if someone is eating noisily try copying the noise. By joining in, instead of feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an willing part. And the challenge should help shift your attention and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Craft a Story: One more method is to try to create a little story about the reason someone making the noise is behaving that way. So if someone was sniffing, maybe they are not in good health or could be emotional. This approach is re-framing the context of the sound. Even though the sound doesn't change, your interpretation of it shifts from being irritating, to feeling a little more neutral about it.
