The Holiday Season Can Be a Nightmare for Misophonia Sufferers.
Lottie hopes for being with her family during the festive period, but admits a key strategy she'll cope is by relying on her noise-cancelling devices - particularly at the holiday meal.
In her case, Christmas can be a especially challenging period as the sounds of family members munching, drinking noisily and sniffling cause her profound anxiety.
"I get this sensation of immediate anxiety, my every muscle will just tense up and it seems as if I'm in peril, and I need to manage these sounds."
The individual has lived with this condition for several years and for her that renders the holiday period "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to specific noises, especially noises made by individuals.
It's surprisingly common amongst adults. Experts found almost one in five people experience it.
Typically it's noises connected to mouth, throat or facial movements that trigger a reaction, as well as things like chewing, breathing, and pen clicking.
Triggering Stress
Lottie says: "There are so many different triggering sounds at Christmas and that can be anxiety inducing and make you fear it.
"My relatives are aware, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a internal conflict of enduring my distress to ensure others enjoy themselves."
So it's clear why the supposedly joyous season can quickly turn into a source of agony for affected individuals.
Noises that may appear innocuous, like someone sipping a beverage, opening presents, or enjoying festive food can cause a visceral feeling that can even lead to them skipping events entirely.
The student, a university student, who has struggled with sound sensitivity for over a decade, explains currently her plan is to put her earphones in to manage the meal. On any other day, she would often retreat in a quiet area to escape problematic noises.
She explains her condition is worse around people she's most familiar with, so the holidays is always "hard".
"There is pressure to be around family, and I wish to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"The sensation is this sudden rage comes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel anxious and begin to weep and then panic will activate.
"It may seem as if I'm being difficult and dramatic, but it's difficult to convey without firsthand experience."
Three Ways to Handle It
For those affected then there are various strategies you can attempt to manage the situation, according to clinical psychologists.
- Picture a Different Scenario: Creative thinking is crucial. Try to associate the specific noise bothering you with an unrelated image. As an illustration, try to envision someone's noisy drinking is just a waterfall. The goal is to teach your brain that the sound affecting you poses no threat.
- Use Humor: Introduce playfulness and turn the annoying sound into a competition involving the source. As an example, if someone is eating noisily attempt 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.
- Create a Scenario: A further strategy is to try to create a little story about why the person creating the sound is doing it. Imagine if someone was making a nasal sound, perhaps they're not in good health or maybe they're upset. By doing this is re-framing the context of the sound. Even though the sound remains identical, your understanding of it moves from being annoying, to feeling a slightly more compassionate towards it.
