Yuletide Can Be a Living Hell for Misophonia Sufferers.
One young woman is looking forward to spending time with her loved ones during the festive period, but says one of the only ways she'll endure is by relying on her hearing protection - notably for the holiday meal.
For the 23-year-old, Christmas is a particularly difficult time as the noises of people eating, drinking noisily and nose-blowing trigger profound anxiety.
"I experience this sensation of immediate anxiety, my whole body will just tense up and it as though I'm in peril, and I need to stop these sounds."
She 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 produced by those around you.
It is prevalent in the UK. Experts found almost one in five people experience it.
Frequently it's sounds connected to bodily functions that lead to discomfort, as well as examples such as chewing, breathing, and foot tapping.
Triggering Stress
Lottie says: "There are so many various auditory triggers at Christmas and that can be daunting and make you want to avoid it.
"My relatives are supportive, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to upset others. It's like a really big battle of enduring my distress to make sure the event goes smoothly."
So it's easy to understand why the traditionally happy season can transform into a stressful ordeal for those with the condition.
Sounds that may be considered normal, like someone sipping a beverage, unwrapping gifts, or eating the holiday meal can provoke a powerful reaction that can even result in them skipping events entirely.
The student, a young adult, who has dealt with misophonia from childhood, explains currently her plan is to use headphones to cope. Typically, she would usually isolate herself in a quiet area to escape distressing triggers.
She explains her sensitivity is more intense around people she's closest to, so Christmas is always "challenging".
"There is pressure to socialize with family, and I want to, but it's draining.
"The sensation is this uncontrollable anger comes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel anxious and burst into tears and then the stress response will kick in.
"It may seem as if I'm being oversensitive and dramatic, but it's difficult to convey without firsthand experience."
Several Strategies to Cope
If you suffer then there are some different techniques you can use to handle the situation, according to specialists.
- Picture Something Else: Mental imagery is crucial. Try to associate the specific noise affecting you with an unrelated image. As an illustration, try to envision someone's noisy drinking is just a sink draining water. The goal is to teach your brain that the sound triggering you poses no threat.
- Use Humor: Have a bit of fun and turn the annoying sound into a challenge involving the source. For instance, if someone is crunching loudly attempt joining in. By mimicking, rather than feeling like the sound is an attack, 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 create a little story about the reason someone making the noise is behaving that way. Imagine if someone was sniffing, perhaps they're not at their best or maybe they're upset. By doing this is altering the perception of the sound. Even though the noise remains identical, your reaction of it moves from being irritating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate about it.
