Yuletide Transforms Into a Terrifying Experience for Those with Misophonia.
Lottie anticipates spending time with her relatives this Christmas, but says a key strategy she'll endure is by using her hearing protection - especially during Christmas dinner.
For her, the holidays can be a particularly difficult time as the auditory triggers of family members munching, drinking noisily and breathing heavily cause her profound anxiety.
"I get this feeling of immediate anxiety, my entire being will just tense up and it as though I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to manage these noises."
Lottie has lived with this condition for several years and for her that renders the Christmas time "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to particular auditory triggers, especially noises produced by individuals.
It's surprisingly common in the UK. Experts found a significant portion of people suffer from it.
Typically it's noises linked to mouth, throat or facial movements that trigger a reaction, including examples such as chewing, breathing, and foot tapping.
Triggering Stress
The sufferer notes: "There are so many assorted problematic noises at the holidays and that can be anxiety inducing and make you fear it.
"Those close to me are supportive, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a constant struggle of enduring my distress to guarantee everyone else is happy."
So it's clear why the supposedly joyous time of the year can rapidly become a stressful ordeal for those with the condition.
Triggers that may be considered normal, like someone sipping a beverage, opening presents, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can provoke a strong emotional response that can even lead to them withdrawing from gatherings.
She, a young adult, who has experienced sound sensitivity since aged 10, says her strategy is to use headphones to cope. Usually, she would often retreat in a different room to avoid triggering sounds.
She explains her misophonia is more pronounced around people she's closest to, so Christmas is always "challenging".
"People assume you to be around loved ones, and I wish to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"The sensation is this sudden rage comes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel anxious and burst into tears and then fight-or-flight will kick in.
"It may seem as if I'm being oversensitive and melodramatic, but it's difficult to convey unless you've experienced it."
Three Ways to Manage
For those affected then there are various strategies you can try to cope the situation, based on advice from experts.
- Visualise Something Else: Imagination is essential. Try to associate the specific noise bothering you with something completely different. For instance, try to imagine someone's slurping is just a gentle stream. The goal is to teach your brain that the sound affecting you isn't harmful.
- Use Humor: Have a bit of fun and make the irritating noise into a challenge with the culprit. For instance, if someone is eating noisily attempt joining in. By joining in, instead of feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an willing part. And the game aspect should help shift your attention and make you a little less affected.
- Develop a Narrative: Another technique is to try to invent a reason about the reason someone creating the sound is doing it. For example if someone was sniffing, perhaps they're not in good health or could be emotional. By doing this is changing the meaning of the sound. While the sound remains identical, your reaction of it shifts from being irritating, to feeling a little more neutral towards it.
