Christmas Transforms Into a Living Hell for Misophonia Sufferers.
A 23-year-old anticipates seeing her relatives over the holidays, but notes a key strategy she'll manage to get through it is by wearing her noise-cancelling devices - notably for Christmas dinner.
In her case, Christmas often feels like a notably tough season as the auditory triggers of family members munching, slurping and breathing heavily cause her intense distress.
"There's this wave of immediate anxiety, my whole body will just tighten and it feels like I'm in danger, and I need to somehow control these sounds."
Lottie has experienced sound sensitivity for several years and for her that makes the Christmas time "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to specific noises, notably sounds produced by other people.
It is prevalent amongst adults. Experts discovered nearly 20% people experience it.
Frequently it's noises linked to eating or drinking that trigger a reaction, as well as examples such as chewing, heavy breathing, and pen clicking.
Triggering Stress
Lottie says: "You encounter so many various auditory triggers at Christmas and that can be anxiety inducing and make you want to avoid it.
"My family are supportive, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to upset others. It's like a internal conflict of enduring my distress to ensure the event goes smoothly."
So it's easy to understand why the traditionally happy period can transform into a living nightmare for those with the condition.
Sounds that may appear innocuous, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or enjoying festive food can trigger a strong emotional response that can even cause them withdrawing from gatherings.
The student, a university student, who has dealt with misophonia from childhood, says the approach she intends to use is to put her earphones in to get through dinner. 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 "challenging".
"People assume you to socialize with loved ones, and I want to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"The sensation is this sudden rage washes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel anxious and burst into tears and then fight-or-flight will kick in.
"It can come across as if I'm being difficult and overreacting, but it's tough to describe without firsthand experience."
A Few Techniques to Manage
For those affected then there are various strategies you can attempt to manage the situation, according to experts.
- Picture an Alternative: Mental imagery is essential. Work on connecting the particular sound affecting you with something completely different. As an illustration, try to imagine someone's slurping is just a waterfall. The goal is to retrain your mind that the sound triggering you is neutral.
- Try a Competition: Use lightheartedness and turn the annoying sound into a game involving the source. As an example, if someone is eating noisily attempt mimicking the sound. By mimicking, instead of feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an engaged person. And the game aspect should help shift your attention and make you a little less affected.
- Create a Scenario: One more method is to try to invent a reason about why the person creating the sound is doing it. So if someone was sniffing, it could be that they're not at their best or are troubled. The idea is changing the meaning of the sound. Although the noise doesn't change, your understanding of it shifts from being irritating, to feeling a little more neutral towards it.
