Yuletide Often Proves to Be a Living Hell for Misophonia Sufferers.
Lottie hopes for seeing her loved ones over the holidays, but notes a key strategy she'll cope is by wearing her noise-cancelling devices - particularly at Christmas dinner.
For her, this time of year can be a especially challenging season as the auditory triggers of people eating, drinking noisily and breathing heavily make her feel profound anxiety.
"I get this feeling of sudden panic, my whole body will just tense up and it as though I'm in danger, and I need to stop these noises."
Lottie has suffered from sound sensitivity from a young age and for her that renders the Christmas time "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to certain sounds, especially noises coming from those around you.
It's surprisingly common amongst adults. Experts discovered nearly 20% people are affected by it.
Typically it's sounds connected to mouth, throat or facial movements that trigger a reaction, along with examples such as crunching, breathing, and pen clicking.
A Source of Dread
Lottie says: "I face so many various auditory triggers at the holidays and that can be daunting and make you fear it.
"My relatives are aware, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a internal conflict of managing my symptoms to guarantee everyone else is happy."
So it's easy to understand why the most wonderful season can rapidly become a stressful ordeal for sufferers.
Triggers that may be considered normal, like someone sipping a beverage, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can provoke a powerful reaction that can even cause them avoiding social settings altogether.
Jenna, a university student, who has experienced sound sensitivity for over a decade, states her strategy is to put her earphones in to manage the meal. On any other day, she would often retreat in a quiet area to escape triggering sounds.
She explains her misophonia is more intense around people she's most comfortable with, so Christmas is always "difficult".
"There is pressure to socialize with family, and I want to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"The sensation is this sudden rage takes hold, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel stressed and immediately start crying and then the stress response will activate.
"To others it appears as if I'm being unreasonable and melodramatic, but it's hard to explain if you haven't felt it."
A Few Techniques to Manage
If you suffer then there are some different techniques you can attempt to manage the situation, according to specialists.
- Picture a Different Scenario: Creative thinking is essential. Attempt to link the triggering sound causing distress with a neutral concept. So for example, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. By doing this is to help your brain learn that the sound triggering you is neutral.
- Use Humor: Have a bit of fun and make the irritating noise into a game involving the source. As an example, if someone is crunching loudly try joining in. Through participation, rather than feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an active participant. And the challenge should help redirect your focus and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Develop a Narrative: Another technique is to try to fabricate an explanation about why the person making the noise is having to make that sound. So if someone was making a nasal sound, maybe they are not feeling well or could be emotional. This approach is altering the perception of the sound. While the noise stays the same, your understanding of it shifts from being annoying, to feeling a bit more accepting towards it.
