Yuletide Can Be a Terrifying Experience for Misophonia Sufferers.
Lottie is looking forward to being with her family this Christmas, but notes a key strategy she'll cope is by relying on her noise-cancelling devices - especially during the holiday meal.
In her case, Christmas often feels like a particularly difficult period as the noises of people eating, slurping and breathing heavily make her feel extremely uncomfortable.
"There's this feeling of immediate anxiety, my whole body will just freeze and it feels like I'm in danger, and I need to stop these triggers."
Lottie has suffered from misophonia from a young age and for her that renders the festive season "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to certain sounds, notably sounds coming from other people.
It is prevalent across the population. Experts reported almost one in five people experience it.
Frequently it's noises associated with bodily functions that cause distress, as well as examples such as chewing, breathing, and foot tapping.
Triggering Stress
She explains: "I face so many assorted problematic noises at the holidays and that can be anxiety inducing and make you want to avoid it.
"Those close to me are aware, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a internal conflict of enduring my distress to make sure everyone else is happy."
So it's easy to understand why the most wonderful period can rapidly become a living nightmare for affected individuals.
Noises that may appear innocuous, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or enjoying festive food can cause a powerful reaction that can even cause them avoiding social settings altogether.
The student, a 21-year-old student, who has dealt with sound sensitivity since aged 10, states her strategy is to put her earphones in to cope. Typically, she would usually isolate herself in a quiet area to avoid problematic noises.
She notes her misophonia is more pronounced around people she's closest to, so the holidays is always "hard".
"There is pressure to socialize with loved ones, and I want to, but it's draining.
"It's like this sudden rage washes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel anxious and burst into tears and then the stress response will activate.
"It may seem as if I'm being unreasonable and overreacting, but it's difficult to convey unless you've experienced it."
Several Strategies to Handle It
For those affected then there are some different techniques you can use to handle the situation, based on advice from experts.
- Picture Something Else: Imagination is key. Try to associate the triggering sound affecting you with something completely different. For instance, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a waterfall. This technique is to teach your brain that the sound triggering you isn't harmful.
- Use Humor: Have a bit of fun and make the irritating noise into a challenge with the culprit. For instance, if someone is crunching loudly try copying the noise. By joining in, rather than feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an engaged person. And the competition element should help distract your brain and make you a little less affected.
- Craft a Story: Another technique is to try to create a little story about why the person making the noise is behaving that way. So if someone was sniffing, perhaps they're not feeling well or could be emotional. This approach is altering the perception of the sound. Even though the noise doesn't change, your interpretation of it moves from being aggravating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate about it.
