The Holiday Season Can Be a Terrifying Experience for Misophonia Sufferers.
Lottie anticipates being with her family during the festive period, but admits a key strategy she'll manage to get through it is by using her hearing protection - especially during the main festive feast.
For her, the holidays can be a particularly difficult time as the noises of other people chewing, sipping loudly and breathing heavily trigger intense distress.
"I experience this wave of sudden panic, my entire being will just tense up and it seems as if I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to somehow control these triggers."
She has suffered from this condition from a young age and for her that renders the Christmas time "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to particular auditory triggers, notably sounds produced by those around you.
The condition is widespread in the UK. Researchers discovered almost one in five people experience it.
Often it's noises connected to eating or drinking that cause distress, as well as things like chewing, heavy breathing, and pen clicking.
A Source of Dread
She explains: "I face so many different triggering sounds at the holidays and that can be stressful and make you dread it.
"My relatives are understanding, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to upset others. It's like a internal conflict of managing my symptoms to ensure everyone else is happy."
So it's easy to understand why the supposedly joyous season can transform into a living nightmare for affected individuals.
Triggers that may appear innocuous, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or enjoying festive food can cause a strong emotional response that can even lead to them withdrawing from gatherings.
Jenna, a young adult, who has dealt with sound sensitivity since aged 10, explains the approach she intends to use is to listen to music to cope. Usually, she would frequently go in a quiet area to avoid triggering sounds.
She notes her condition is more pronounced around people she's most comfortable with, so the holidays is always "challenging".
"People assume you to spend time with family, and I want to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"I feel as if this sudden rage comes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel stressed and begin to weep and then panic will take over.
"It can come across as if I'm being difficult and dramatic, but it's tough to describe without firsthand experience."
Three Ways to Manage
If it's an issue then there are various strategies you can try to cope the situation, as suggested by experts.
- Picture an Alternative: Creative thinking is crucial. Try to associate the triggering sound affecting you with an unrelated image. For instance, try to envision someone's noisy drinking is just a sink draining water. By doing this is to help your brain learn that the sound affecting you is neutral.
- Try a Competition: Have a bit of fun and make the irritating noise into a challenge involving the source. For example, if someone is crunching loudly attempt joining in. Through participation, rather than feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an active participant. And the competition element should help distract your brain and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Craft a Story: One more method is to try to fabricate an explanation about why the person making the noise is behaving that way. Imagine if someone was sniffing, it could be that they're not at their best or are troubled. This approach is changing the meaning of the sound. Even though the sound stays the same, your reaction of it moves from being irritating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate about it.
