The Holiday Season Transforms Into a Terrifying Experience for Misophonia Sufferers.
A 23-year-old is looking forward to being with her loved ones over the holidays, but says a key strategy she'll endure is by using her hearing protection - especially during Christmas dinner.
In her case, Christmas can be a notably tough period as the sounds of family members munching, sipping loudly and nose-blowing trigger extremely uncomfortable.
"I get this feeling of instant dread, my whole body will just tense up and it feels like I'm in danger, and I need to manage these sounds."
The individual has lived with misophonia for several years and for her that causes the holiday period "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to certain sounds, particularly those produced by individuals.
It's surprisingly common in the UK. Researchers reported a significant portion of people are affected by it.
Typically it's sounds connected to mouth, throat or facial movements that cause distress, as well as things like chewing, breathing, and pen clicking.
'Anxiety Inducing'
Lottie says: "You encounter so many various auditory triggers at Christmas and that can be stressful and make you want to avoid it.
"My relatives are aware, but I'm very aware that I don't want to upset others. It's like a constant struggle of sacrificing my own sanity to ensure everyone else is happy."
So it's obvious why the most wonderful time of the year can quickly turn into a source of agony for affected individuals.
Noises that may seem harmless, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, opening presents, or eating the holiday meal can cause a powerful reaction that can even cause them avoiding social settings altogether.
She, a 21-year-old student, who has struggled with misophonia from childhood, states the approach she intends to use is to use headphones to cope. Usually, she would usually isolate herself in a quiet area to avoid triggering sounds.
She notes her sensitivity is worse around people she's most familiar with, so the holidays is always "difficult".
"People assume you to spend time with loved ones, and I want to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"The sensation is this sudden rage takes hold, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel panicked and burst into tears and then panic will activate.
"It can come across as if I'm being unreasonable and melodramatic, but it's tough to describe if you haven't felt it."
Several Strategies to Cope
If you suffer then there are some different techniques you can try to cope the situation, according to clinical psychologists.
- Imagine Something Else: Mental imagery is key. Try to associate the specific noise affecting you with something completely different. As an illustration, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. By doing this is to help your brain learn 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 example, if someone is crunching loudly try mimicking the sound. Through participation, rather than feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an active participant. And the game aspect should help redirect your focus and make you a little less affected.
- Craft a Story: Another technique is to try to fabricate an explanation about why the person creating the sound is having to make that sound. Imagine if someone was sniffing, perhaps they're not feeling well or could be emotional. By doing this is altering the perception of the sound. Although the noise doesn't change, your reaction of it changes from being aggravating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate towards it.
