The Holiday Season Often Proves to Be a Terrifying Experience for Misophonia Sufferers.
Lottie is looking forward to spending time with her loved ones over the holidays, but says a primary method she'll manage to get through it is by using her noise-cancelling devices - notably for the main festive feast.
In her case, Christmas can be a particularly difficult period as the noises of family members munching, sipping loudly and nose-blowing cause her profound anxiety.
"There's this wave of sudden panic, my whole body will just freeze and it as though I'm in peril, and I need to manage these sounds."
Lottie has suffered from sound sensitivity for several years and for her that renders the Christmas time "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to specific noises, especially noises made by those around you.
It is prevalent in the UK. Researchers found 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 chewing, breathing, and foot tapping.
Triggering Stress
She explains: "You encounter so many various auditory triggers at the holidays and that can be anxiety inducing and make you dread it.
"My relatives are supportive, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to upset others. It's like a internal conflict of sacrificing my own sanity to guarantee others enjoy themselves."
So it's easy to understand why the supposedly joyous period can transform into a source of agony for sufferers.
Noises that may appear innocuous, like someone drinking champagne, opening presents, or enjoying festive food can provoke a visceral feeling that can even cause them withdrawing from gatherings.
The student, a 21-year-old student, who has dealt with misophonia for over a decade, states currently her plan is to listen to music to cope. On any other day, she would usually isolate herself in a different room to escape triggering sounds.
She notes her sensitivity is more pronounced around people she's most comfortable with, so the holidays is always "challenging".
"People assume you to spend time with family, and I want to, but it's draining.
"I feel as if this sudden rage takes hold, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel panicked and begin to weep and then the stress response will take over.
"It can come across as if I'm being unreasonable and dramatic, but it's difficult to convey without firsthand experience."
Three Ways to Manage
For those affected then there are various strategies you can attempt to manage the situation, according to specialists.
- Visualise an Alternative: Imagination is crucial. Work on connecting the specific noise affecting you with an unrelated image. For instance, try to picture someone's slurping is just a gentle stream. This technique is to retrain your mind that the sound triggering you is neutral.
- Use Humor: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a challenge with the culprit. As an example, if someone is crunching loudly try joining in. By joining in, instead of feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an active participant. And the game aspect should help distract your brain and make you a little less affected.
- Create a Scenario: One more method is to try to fabricate an explanation about why the person creating the sound is doing it. Imagine if someone was sniffing, maybe they are not in good health or could be emotional. The idea is re-framing the context of the sound. Although the sound doesn't change, your understanding of it changes from being aggravating, to feeling a little more neutral towards it.
