The Holiday Season Can Be a Nightmare for Those with Misophonia.
One young woman is looking forward to being with her relatives over the holidays, but admits one of the only ways she'll endure is by wearing her hearing protection - particularly at the holiday meal.
In her case, the holidays is a especially challenging time as the noises of people eating, sipping loudly and sniffling make her feel intense distress.
"There's this wave of sudden panic, my every muscle will just tense up and it seems as if I'm in peril, and I need to stop these noises."
Lottie has lived with this condition since she was 16 and for her that makes the holiday period "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to certain sounds, notably sounds coming from other people.
The condition is widespread in the UK. A study found almost one in five people are affected by it.
Frequently it's sounds connected to mouth, throat or facial movements that lead to discomfort, including examples such as chewing, breathing, and foot tapping.
Triggering Stress
The sufferer notes: "There are so many various auditory triggers at Christmas and that can be daunting and make you dread it.
"My relatives are aware, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a really big battle of managing my symptoms to make sure the event goes smoothly."
So it's easy to understand why the supposedly joyous season can rapidly become a source of agony for affected individuals.
Sounds that may seem harmless, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, unwrapping gifts, or enjoying festive food can cause a strong emotional response that can even result in them avoiding social settings altogether.
Jenna, a 21-year-old student, who has struggled with misophonia for over a decade, says the approach she intends to use is to use headphones to cope. Typically, she would frequently go in a different room to avoid distressing triggers.
She says her misophonia is more pronounced around people she's most comfortable with, so Christmas is always "hard".
"There is pressure to socialize with family, and I wish to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"The sensation is this intense irritation takes hold, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel panicked and begin to weep and then panic will activate.
"It may seem as if I'm being difficult and melodramatic, but it's tough to describe unless you've experienced it."
Three Ways to Manage
If it's an issue then there are a few methods you can attempt to manage the situation, according to clinical psychologists.
- Picture an Alternative: Mental imagery is key. Work on connecting the particular sound affecting you with something completely different. As an illustration, try to picture someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. This technique is to retrain your mind that the sound affecting you is neutral.
- Try a Competition: Use lightheartedness and turn the annoying sound into a challenge involving the source. For instance, if someone is crunching loudly try joining in. By mimicking, rather than feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an engaged person. And the game aspect should help shift your attention and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Craft a Story: One more method is to try to invent a reason about why the person creating the sound is doing it. Imagine if someone was sniffing, it could be that they're not at their best or maybe they're upset. The idea is re-framing the context of the sound. Although the noise stays the same, your reaction of it changes from being aggravating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate about it.
