The Holiday Season Often Proves to Be a Nightmare for Misophonia Sufferers.
Lottie is looking forward to being with her relatives this Christmas, but admits a key strategy she'll endure is by wearing her hearing protection - notably for the main festive feast.
In her case, Christmas is a particularly difficult season as the sounds of people eating, slurping and nose-blowing make her feel extremely uncomfortable.
"I get this feeling of instant dread, my every muscle will just tighten and it as though I'm in danger, and I need to somehow control these sounds."
The individual has lived with this condition from a young age and for her that causes the Christmas time "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to certain sounds, especially noises coming from those around you.
It's surprisingly common across the population. Experts discovered a significant portion of people are affected by it.
Frequently it's noises connected to mouth, throat or facial movements that cause distress, along with things like crunching, breathing, and foot tapping.
'Anxiety Inducing'
The sufferer notes: "There are so many assorted problematic noises at the holidays and that can be stressful and make you fear it.
"My family are aware, but I'm very aware that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a internal conflict of sacrificing my own sanity to make sure everyone else is happy."
So it's clear why the supposedly joyous time of the year can quickly turn into a source of agony for sufferers.
Sounds that may be considered normal, like someone drinking champagne, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or enjoying festive food can cause a visceral feeling that can even cause them withdrawing from gatherings.
She, a university student, who has experienced misophonia for over a decade, explains the approach she intends to use is to use headphones to cope. Typically, she would usually isolate herself in a different room to avoid problematic noises.
She explains her condition is more pronounced around people she's closest to, 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.
"The sensation is this sudden rage washes over me, 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 overreacting, but it's difficult to convey without firsthand experience."
A Few Techniques to Cope
For those affected then there are a few methods you can attempt to manage the situation, according to clinical psychologists.
- Visualise a Different Scenario: Imagination is crucial. Work on connecting the triggering sound affecting you with a neutral concept. As an illustration, try to picture someone's noisy drinking is just a sink draining water. The goal is to teach your brain that the sound affecting you poses no threat.
- Use Humor: Use lightheartedness and make the irritating noise into a game with the person. For instance, if someone is crunching loudly attempt copying the noise. Through participation, instead of feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an engaged person. And the challenge should help distract your brain and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Craft a Story: A further strategy is to try to invent a reason about why the person creating the sound is doing it. So if someone was making a nasal sound, perhaps they're not in good health or could be emotional. This approach is altering the perception of the sound. While the noise doesn't change, your interpretation of it shifts from being annoying, to feeling a little more neutral about it.
