Christmas Transforms Into a Living Hell for Misophonia Sufferers.
Lottie anticipates seeing her relatives over the holidays, but says a primary method she'll endure is by wearing her earplugs - particularly at the main festive feast.
In her case, this time of year often feels like a notably tough season as the sounds of family members munching, drinking noisily and breathing heavily trigger intense distress.
"There's this feeling of instant dread, my whole body will just tense up and it as though I'm in danger, and I need to stop these triggers."
The individual has lived with misophonia since she was 16 and for her that makes the holiday period "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to particular auditory triggers, especially noises made by individuals.
It's surprisingly common across the population. Experts discovered nearly 20% people suffer from it.
Typically it's sounds associated with eating or drinking that lead to discomfort, as well as examples such as crunching, heavy breathing, and pen clicking.
A Source of Dread
She explains: "There are so many different triggering sounds at Christmas and that can be daunting and make you fear it.
"My family are supportive, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to upset others. It's like a internal conflict of sacrificing my own sanity to guarantee others enjoy themselves."
So it's obvious why the traditionally happy period can rapidly become a source of agony for those with the condition.
Noises that may be considered normal, like someone sipping a beverage, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can cause a powerful reaction that can even cause them withdrawing from gatherings.
Jenna, a university student, who has dealt with sound sensitivity from childhood, explains the approach she intends to use is to use headphones to manage the meal. Usually, she would usually isolate herself in a quiet area to escape problematic noises.
She notes her misophonia is more intense around people she's closest to, so Christmas is always "hard".
"There's an expectation to socialize with loved ones, and I desire to, but it's draining.
"I feel as if this sudden rage takes hold, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel stressed and burst into tears and then the stress response will take over.
"It may seem as if I'm being difficult and melodramatic, but it's difficult to convey unless you've experienced it."
Several Strategies to Handle It
If it's an issue then there are various strategies you can try to cope the situation, as suggested by clinical psychologists.
- Visualise a Different Scenario: Creative thinking is key. Attempt to link the particular sound affecting you with something completely different. For instance, try to picture someone's noisy drinking is just a sink draining water. This technique is to retrain your mind that the sound triggering you is neutral.
- Try a Competition: Introduce playfulness and turn the annoying sound into a challenge involving the source. For example, if someone is crunching loudly try joining in. By joining in, rather than feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an willing part. And the competition element should help distract your brain and make you a little less affected.
- Create a Scenario: Another technique is to try to invent a reason about why the person creating the sound is doing it. So if someone was sniffing, it could be that they're not feeling well or maybe they're upset. The idea is altering the perception of the sound. Even though the sound remains identical, your understanding of it changes from being aggravating, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.
