Yuletide Can Be a Living Hell for Those with Misophonia.
A 23-year-old hopes for spending time with her family during the festive period, but notes a key strategy she'll manage to get through it is by relying on her earplugs - notably for the main festive feast.
For the 23-year-old, Christmas can be a especially challenging season as the auditory triggers of people eating, slurping and breathing heavily make her feel intense distress.
"There's this sensation of immediate anxiety, my every muscle will just tighten and it seems as if I'm in peril, and I need to stop these triggers."
Lottie has experienced this condition for several years and for her that renders the holiday period "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to specific noises, particularly those produced by other people.
It's surprisingly common amongst adults. Experts found nearly 20% people are affected by it.
Typically it's sounds associated with bodily functions that cause distress, including things like crunching, heavy breathing, and foot tapping.
A Source of Dread
Lottie says: "You encounter so many various auditory triggers at Christmas and that can be daunting and make you dread it.
"Those close to me are aware, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a internal conflict of sacrificing my own sanity to guarantee the event goes smoothly."
So it's easy to understand why the traditionally happy period can quickly turn into a living nightmare for affected individuals.
Noises that may appear innocuous, like someone drinking champagne, opening presents, or enjoying festive food can cause a strong emotional response that can even lead to them skipping events entirely.
The student, a young adult, who has experienced misophonia from childhood, explains currently her plan is to use headphones to get through dinner. On any other day, she would usually isolate herself in a different room to avoid distressing triggers.
She says her misophonia is more pronounced around people she's most familiar with, so the holidays is always "challenging".
"People assume you to be around family, and I want to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"I feel as if this sudden rage washes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel panicked and begin to weep and then panic will take over.
"To others it appears as if I'm being oversensitive and dramatic, but it's hard to explain unless you've experienced it."
Several Strategies to Handle It
If it's an issue then there are some different techniques you can attempt to manage the situation, based on advice from specialists.
- Visualise a Different Scenario: Imagination is essential. Work on connecting the specific noise bothering you with an unrelated image. For instance, try to imagine someone's slurping is just a sink draining water. This technique is to retrain your mind that the sound triggering you isn't harmful.
- Try a Competition: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a competition involving the source. For instance, if someone is crunching loudly attempt joining in. Through participation, rather than feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an willing part. And the competition element should help redirect your focus and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Develop a Narrative: One more method is to try to fabricate an explanation about the reason someone creating the sound is doing it. So if someone was sniffing, it could be that they're not at their best or maybe they're upset. The idea is re-framing the context of the sound. Although the noise doesn't change, your understanding of it shifts from being aggravating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate towards it.
