Christmas Can Be a Nightmare for Misophonia Sufferers.
A 23-year-old anticipates spending time with her loved ones over the holidays, but says a key strategy she'll manage to get through it is by relying on her noise-cancelling devices - particularly at Christmas dinner.
In her case, the holidays can be a particularly difficult season as the auditory triggers of family members munching, drinking noisily and breathing heavily trigger intense distress.
"I experience this wave of instant dread, my entire being will just tighten and it seems as if I'm in peril, and I need to manage these triggers."
Lottie has suffered from sound sensitivity for several years and for her that renders the Christmas time "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to particular auditory triggers, particularly those produced by those around you.
It is prevalent amongst adults. Researchers found almost one in five people experience it.
Frequently it's noises linked to bodily functions that lead to discomfort, including things like chewing, heavy breathing, and pen clicking.
Triggering Stress
Lottie says: "I face 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 conscious that I don't want to upset others. It's like a really big battle of enduring my distress to ensure everyone else is happy."
So it's easy to understand why the traditionally happy time of the year can rapidly become a stressful ordeal for affected individuals.
Sounds that may appear innocuous, like someone sipping a beverage, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or enjoying festive food can provoke a strong emotional response that can even cause them skipping events entirely.
She, a young adult, who has experienced misophonia from childhood, states her strategy is to put her earphones in to cope. Typically, she would usually isolate herself in a separate space to avoid distressing triggers.
She says her condition is worse around people she's most comfortable with, so the holidays is always "difficult".
"There's an expectation to socialize with family, and I wish to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"I feel as if this sudden rage washes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel anxious and immediately start crying and then fight-or-flight will take over.
"To others it appears as if I'm being unreasonable and melodramatic, but it's difficult to convey unless you've experienced it."
A Few Techniques to Manage
If you suffer then there are various strategies you can try to cope the situation, based on advice from clinical psychologists.
- Imagine an Alternative: Creative thinking is essential. Work on connecting the particular sound bothering you with something completely different. So for example, try to envision someone's slurping is just a sink draining water. The goal is to teach your brain that the sound affecting you is neutral.
- Use Humor: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a game involving the source. For example, if someone is eating noisily try copying the noise. By joining in, rather than feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an engaged person. And the challenge should help redirect your focus and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Create a Scenario: One more method is to try to invent a reason about why the person creating the sound is having to make that sound. Imagine 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 sound remains identical, your understanding of it moves from being irritating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate about it.
