The Holiday Season Often Proves to Be a Nightmare for Those with Misophonia.
A 23-year-old hopes for being with her family this Christmas, but says one of the only ways she'll cope is by relying on her hearing protection - particularly at the main festive feast.
For the 23-year-old, the holidays often feels like a notably tough season as the noises of family members munching, sipping loudly and breathing heavily trigger intense distress.
"There's this wave of sudden panic, my entire being will just tense up and it as though I'm in danger, and I need to somehow control these triggers."
Lottie has experienced this condition for several years and for her that causes the festive season "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to specific noises, particularly those coming from other people.
It's surprisingly common in the UK. Experts found a significant portion of people are affected by it.
Frequently it's noises linked to mouth, throat or facial movements that cause distress, along with things like chewing, heavy breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
'Anxiety Inducing'
She explains: "I face so many various auditory triggers at the holidays and that can be stressful and make you dread it.
"My family are understanding, but I'm very aware that I don't want to upset others. It's like a internal conflict of sacrificing my own sanity to make sure everyone else is happy."
So it's clear why the traditionally happy period can quickly turn into a source of agony for affected individuals.
Triggers that may be considered normal, like someone sipping a beverage, opening presents, or eating the holiday meal can cause a powerful reaction that can even lead to them withdrawing from gatherings.
Jenna, a 21-year-old student, who has dealt with misophonia from childhood, explains currently her plan is to listen to music to manage the meal. On any other day, she would frequently go in a separate space to avoid distressing triggers.
She notes her sensitivity is more intense around people she's most comfortable with, so Christmas is always "challenging".
"People assume you to be around loved ones, and I desire to, but it's draining.
"It's like this uncontrollable anger takes hold, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel anxious and burst into tears and then panic will activate.
"To others it appears as if I'm being oversensitive and overreacting, but it's tough to describe if you haven't felt it."
A Few Techniques to Handle It
If you suffer then there are some different techniques you can use to handle the situation, according to specialists.
- Visualise Something Else: Mental imagery is essential. Attempt to link the specific noise causing distress with an unrelated image. So for example, try to imagine someone's slurping is just a gentle stream. The goal is to help your brain learn that the sound triggering you isn't harmful.
- Try a Competition: Use lightheartedness and turn the annoying sound into a competition with the person. For instance, if someone is crunching loudly have a go at joining in. By joining in, instead of feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an willing part. And the competition element should help redirect your focus and make you a little less affected.
- Create a Scenario: A further strategy is to try to create a little story about the reason someone creating the sound is behaving that way. Imagine if someone was sniffing, it could be that they're not at their best or are troubled. The idea is changing the meaning of the sound. While the sound doesn't change, your reaction of it changes from being annoying, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.
