Christmas Transforms Into a Terrifying Experience for Misophonia Sufferers.
A 23-year-old anticipates being with her family this Christmas, but notes one of the only ways she'll endure is by wearing her hearing protection - particularly at Christmas dinner.
For the 23-year-old, the holidays can be a notably tough period as the noises of other people chewing, drinking noisily and sniffling cause her profound anxiety.
"I get this feeling of sudden panic, my entire being will just tense up and it as though I'm in peril, and I need to somehow control these triggers."
Lottie has lived with misophonia for several years and for her that causes the Christmas time "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to specific noises, especially noises coming from other people.
The condition is widespread amongst adults. Researchers reported nearly 20% people suffer from it.
Typically it's sounds associated with bodily functions that trigger a reaction, along with things like crunching, heavy breathing, and foot tapping.
A Source of Dread
The sufferer notes: "I face so many different triggering sounds at Christmas and that can be anxiety inducing and make you fear it.
"My relatives are supportive, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a really big battle of enduring my distress to ensure others enjoy themselves."
So it's obvious why the traditionally happy season can quickly turn into a source of agony for affected individuals.
Noises that may seem harmless, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can provoke a strong emotional response that can even cause them withdrawing from gatherings.
She, a university student, who has experienced sound sensitivity from childhood, states her strategy is to put her earphones in to manage the meal. Typically, she would frequently go in a quiet area to escape distressing triggers.
She explains her misophonia is worse around people she's most comfortable with, so the holidays is always "difficult".
"There's an expectation to spend time with loved ones, and I want 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 immediately start crying and then the stress response will kick in.
"To others it appears as if I'm being difficult and dramatic, but it's hard to explain without firsthand experience."
A Few Techniques to Handle It
For those affected then there are a few methods you can use to handle the situation, according to experts.
- Picture a Different Scenario: Mental imagery is essential. Try to associate the particular sound causing distress with a neutral concept. For instance, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a waterfall. The goal is to help your brain learn that the sound triggering you isn't harmful.
- Use Humor: Introduce playfulness and turn the annoying sound into a challenge with the culprit. For example, if someone is crunching loudly attempt copying the noise. Through participation, rather than feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an engaged person. And the game aspect should help redirect your focus and make you a little less affected.
- Develop a Narrative: Another technique is to try to create a little story about why the person making the noise is behaving that way. For example if someone was making a nasal sound, perhaps they're not feeling well or are troubled. By doing this is altering the perception of the sound. Although the sound stays the same, your reaction of it moves from being aggravating, to feeling a little more neutral towards it.
