Yuletide Often Proves to Be a Nightmare for Those with Misophonia.
Lottie anticipates seeing her family during the festive period, but notes a primary method she'll endure is by wearing her noise-cancelling devices - notably for the main festive feast.
For her, the holidays is a particularly difficult season as the noises of people eating, slurping and sniffling trigger profound anxiety.
"I experience this sensation of immediate anxiety, my every muscle will just tighten and it as though I'm in danger, and I need to manage these noises."
The individual has experienced sound sensitivity since she was 16 and for her that renders the festive season "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to particular auditory triggers, particularly those made by individuals.
It is prevalent amongst adults. A study reported nearly 20% people suffer from it.
Frequently it's sounds linked to eating or drinking that cause distress, including examples such as crunching, breathing, and pen clicking.
'Anxiety Inducing'
Lottie says: "I face so many different triggering sounds at the holidays and that can be daunting and make you want to avoid it.
"My family are aware, but I'm very aware that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a constant struggle of enduring my distress to ensure everyone else is happy."
So it's clear why the traditionally happy period can rapidly become a living nightmare for those with the condition.
Triggers that may seem harmless, like someone drinking champagne, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or eating the holiday meal can provoke a visceral feeling that can even lead to them withdrawing from gatherings.
Jenna, a young adult, who has experienced misophonia since aged 10, explains the approach she intends to use is to put her earphones in to cope. Typically, she would frequently go in a separate space to escape problematic noises.
She explains her condition is more pronounced around people she's most comfortable with, so the holidays is always "difficult".
"There is pressure to spend time with family, and I wish to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"It's like this uncontrollable anger washes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel anxious and begin to weep and then fight-or-flight will kick in.
"To others it appears as if I'm being difficult and melodramatic, but it's hard to explain if you haven't felt it."
A Few Techniques to Handle It
For those affected then there are a few methods you can attempt to manage the situation, according to clinical psychologists.
- Picture Something Else: Imagination is crucial. Work on connecting the particular sound affecting you with a neutral concept. For instance, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. The goal is to retrain your mind that the sound affecting you is neutral.
- Try a Competition: Use lightheartedness and turn the annoying sound into a challenge with the culprit. For example, if someone is crunching loudly attempt mimicking the sound. Through participation, rather than feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an willing part. And the challenge should help redirect your focus and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Develop a Narrative: Another technique is to try to create a little story about why the person making the noise is having to make that sound. So if someone was sniffing, perhaps they're not feeling well or are troubled. This approach is changing the meaning of the sound. Even though the sound stays the same, your reaction of it shifts from being aggravating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate about it.
