Christmas Often Proves to Be a Terrifying Experience for Misophonia Sufferers.
Lottie hopes for spending time with her loved ones over the holidays, but admits a key strategy she'll endure is by wearing her earplugs - notably for the main festive feast.
For the 23-year-old, Christmas is a notably tough time as the sounds of people eating, drinking noisily and breathing heavily trigger intense distress.
"I experience this sensation of immediate anxiety, my whole body will just tense up and it feels like I'm in peril, and I need to stop these triggers."
She has suffered from this condition for several years and for her that renders the festive season "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to specific noises, particularly those coming from individuals.
It's surprisingly common across the population. Experts found nearly 20% people experience it.
Frequently it's noises associated with mouth, throat or facial movements that trigger a reaction, including examples such as chewing, heavy breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
A Source of Dread
Lottie says: "You encounter so many various auditory triggers at Christmas and that can be anxiety inducing and make you fear it.
"My family are supportive, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a constant struggle of sacrificing my own sanity to ensure others enjoy themselves."
So it's clear why the most wonderful period can quickly turn into a living nightmare for affected individuals.
Triggers that may appear innocuous, like someone drinking champagne, unwrapping gifts, or eating the holiday meal can cause a strong emotional response that can even result in them avoiding social settings altogether.
She, a university student, who has struggled with sound sensitivity since aged 10, states the approach she intends to use is to listen to music to manage the meal. Typically, she would often retreat in a separate space to minimize distressing triggers.
She says her condition is more intense around people she's most comfortable with, so Christmas is always "difficult".
"People assume you to be around loved ones, and I desire to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"I feel as if this uncontrollable anger takes hold, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel stressed and immediately start crying and then panic will kick in.
"It can come across as if I'm being unreasonable and overreacting, but it's hard to explain if you haven't felt it."
Three Ways to Cope
For those affected then there are various strategies you can attempt to manage the situation, based on advice from clinical psychologists.
- Imagine Something Else: Mental imagery is key. Attempt to link the particular sound affecting you with an unrelated image. So for example, try to picture someone's slurping is just a sink draining water. The goal is to help your brain learn that the sound affecting you is neutral.
- Try a Competition: Have a bit of fun and make the irritating noise into a game with the person. For example, if someone is crunching loudly try joining in. By joining in, instead of feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an willing part. And the game aspect should help shift your attention and make you a little less affected.
- Create a Scenario: A further strategy is to try to invent a reason about why the person making the noise is doing it. So if someone was sniffing, it could be that they're not feeling well or are troubled. By doing this is altering the perception of the sound. While the sound doesn't change, your understanding of it shifts from being aggravating, to feeling a bit more accepting towards it.
