The Holiday Season Transforms Into a Nightmare for Those with Misophonia.
One young woman anticipates seeing her loved ones over the holidays, but admits a key strategy she'll endure is by wearing her hearing protection - especially during the main festive feast.
In her case, Christmas often feels like a notably tough season as the sounds of family members munching, sipping loudly and sniffling make her feel intense distress.
"I get this feeling of sudden panic, my whole body will just freeze and it seems as if I'm in peril, and I need to manage these noises."
Lottie has lived with misophonia since she was 16 and for her that renders the holiday period "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to certain sounds, notably sounds made by other people.
It's surprisingly common amongst adults. A study discovered nearly 20% people suffer from it.
Typically it's noises connected to eating or drinking that trigger a reaction, along with examples such as crunching, breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
'Anxiety Inducing'
The sufferer notes: "You encounter so many assorted problematic noises at the holidays and that can be daunting and make you want to avoid it.
"Those close to me are supportive, but I'm very aware that I don't want to upset others. It's like a internal conflict of enduring my distress to make sure others enjoy themselves."
So it's obvious why the supposedly joyous period can rapidly become a living nightmare for those with the condition.
Sounds that may seem harmless, like someone drinking champagne, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or eating the holiday meal can provoke a visceral feeling that can even result in them withdrawing from gatherings.
Jenna, a 21-year-old student, who has dealt with sound sensitivity since aged 10, states the approach she intends to use is to listen to music to cope. Typically, she would usually isolate herself in a different room to escape triggering sounds.
She says her condition is more pronounced around people she's most familiar with, so the holidays is always "challenging".
"People assume you to spend time with loved ones, and I desire to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"It's like this uncontrollable anger takes hold, which can feel shameful, 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 oversensitive and dramatic, but it's tough to describe unless you've experienced it."
Several Strategies to Manage
If it's an issue then there are some different techniques you can try to cope the situation, as suggested by specialists.
- Picture a Different Scenario: Creative thinking is key. Attempt to link the particular sound causing distress with an unrelated image. As an illustration, try to envision someone's noisy drinking is just a sink draining water. By doing this is to retrain your mind that the sound triggering you isn't harmful.
- Make it a Game: Have a bit of fun and turn the annoying sound into a competition involving the source. For example, if someone is eating noisily have a go at joining in. By mimicking, instead of feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an engaged person. And the competition element should help redirect your focus and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Craft a Story: One more method is to try to create a little story about why the person making the noise is having to make that sound. For example if someone was making a nasal sound, perhaps they're not feeling well or could be emotional. By doing this is altering the perception of the sound. Even though the sound doesn't change, your understanding of it shifts from being irritating, to feeling a bit more accepting towards it.
