Christmas Transforms Into a Nightmare for Misophonia Sufferers.
Lottie hopes for spending time with her loved ones during the festive period, but says a key strategy she'll cope is by using her hearing protection - especially during the main festive feast.
In her case, the holidays often feels like a notably tough time as the noises of other people chewing, sipping loudly and breathing heavily trigger intense distress.
"I experience this sensation of sudden panic, my entire being will just freeze and it feels like I'm in danger, and I need to somehow control these triggers."
She has suffered from misophonia from a young age and for her that renders the Christmas time "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to particular auditory triggers, particularly those coming from individuals.
It is prevalent amongst adults. Researchers discovered almost one in five people are affected by it.
Often it's sounds linked to mouth, throat or facial movements that cause distress, including things like chewing, breathing, and pen clicking.
'Anxiety Inducing'
She explains: "I face so many different triggering sounds at Christmas and that can be stressful and make you want to avoid it.
"My relatives are supportive, but I'm very aware that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a internal conflict of enduring my distress to guarantee everyone else is happy."
So it's obvious why the traditionally happy time of the year can rapidly become a stressful ordeal for sufferers.
Sounds that may seem harmless, like someone sipping a beverage, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or enjoying festive food can cause a powerful reaction that can even result in them skipping events entirely.
She, a 21-year-old student, who has dealt with sound sensitivity from childhood, explains her strategy is to listen to music to cope. Typically, she would frequently go in a quiet area to escape distressing triggers.
She says her sensitivity is worse around people she's closest to, so the holidays is always "challenging".
"There's an expectation to socialize with family, and I desire to, but it's draining.
"I feel as if this sudden rage comes over me, which can feel awkward, 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 melodramatic, but it's difficult to convey if you haven't felt it."
Several Strategies to Handle It
If you suffer then there are various strategies you can use to handle the situation, according to experts.
- Imagine an Alternative: Imagination is crucial. Try to associate the specific noise 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 help your brain learn that the sound affecting you is neutral.
- Use Humor: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a challenge involving the source. For example, if someone is eating noisily have a go at joining in. By joining in, instead of feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an active participant. And the competition element should help distract your brain and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Craft a Story: One more method is to try to fabricate an explanation about the reason someone making the noise is behaving that way. For example if someone was making a nasal sound, perhaps they're not at their best or could be emotional. By doing this is re-framing the context of the sound. While the noise stays the same, your understanding of it moves from being irritating, to feeling a little more neutral towards it.
