Yuletide Often Proves to Be a Terrifying Experience for Those with Misophonia.
Lottie hopes for being with her relatives during the festive period, but notes a key strategy she'll cope is by wearing her hearing protection - especially during the main festive feast.
For her, this time of year often feels like a particularly difficult period as the noises of family members munching, sipping loudly and nose-blowing trigger intense distress.
"I experience this wave of immediate anxiety, my whole body will just tighten and it seems as if I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to stop these noises."
Lottie has lived with misophonia from a young age and for her that causes the holiday period "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to particular auditory triggers, notably sounds coming from individuals.
The condition is widespread across the population. Experts discovered almost one in five people experience it.
Typically it's noises linked to mouth, throat or facial movements that trigger a reaction, along with things like crunching, heavy breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
A Source of Dread
The sufferer notes: "There are so many different triggering sounds at the holidays and that can be daunting and make you dread it.
"My relatives are understanding, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a really big battle of sacrificing my own sanity to guarantee everyone else is happy."
So it's obvious why the traditionally happy time of the year can transform into a stressful ordeal for affected individuals.
Sounds that may appear innocuous, like someone drinking champagne, unwrapping gifts, or enjoying festive food can cause a visceral feeling that can even lead to them avoiding social settings altogether.
She, a young adult, who has struggled with sound sensitivity since aged 10, states her strategy is to listen to music to get through dinner. Typically, she would often retreat in a separate space to escape triggering sounds.
She notes her sensitivity is more intense around people she's most comfortable with, so the holidays is always "difficult".
"There's an expectation to be around loved ones, and I want to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"The sensation is this uncontrollable anger comes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel stressed and immediately start crying and then panic will take over.
"It may seem as if I'm being unreasonable and dramatic, but it's tough to describe unless you've experienced it."
Three Ways to Cope
If you suffer then there are a few methods you can attempt to manage the situation, according to experts.
- Imagine a Different Scenario: Creative thinking is crucial. Work on connecting the particular sound causing distress with an unrelated image. For instance, try to picture someone's noisy drinking is just a sink draining water. This technique is to help your brain learn that the sound triggering you is neutral.
- Use Humor: Introduce playfulness and turn the annoying sound into a game with the person. As an example, if someone is eating noisily attempt mimicking the sound. By joining in, instead of feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an engaged person. And the competition element should help distract your brain and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Craft a Story: Another technique is to try to invent a reason about why the person creating the sound is having to make that sound. So if someone was making a nasal sound, perhaps they're not feeling well or are troubled. This approach is altering the perception of the sound. While the sound stays the same, your reaction of it shifts from being aggravating, to feeling a little more neutral about it.