Yuletide Can Be a Terrifying Experience for Misophonia Sufferers.
A 23-year-old is looking forward to being with her relatives during the festive period, but says a key strategy she'll cope is by wearing her hearing protection - especially during the holiday meal.
For her, Christmas often feels like a particularly difficult time as the sounds of family members munching, slurping and breathing heavily cause her profound anxiety.
"I get this wave of sudden panic, my every muscle will just tense up and it seems as if I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to stop these triggers."
Lottie has lived with this condition since she was 16 and for her that makes the festive season "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to certain sounds, particularly those produced by other people.
The condition is widespread in the UK. Researchers discovered nearly 20% people suffer from it.
Frequently it's noises associated with eating or drinking that lead to discomfort, along with things like crunching, heavy breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
'Anxiety Inducing'
She explains: "There are so many different triggering sounds at the holidays and that can be daunting and make you fear it.
"My family are understanding, but I'm very aware that I don't want to upset others. It's like a internal conflict of managing my symptoms to guarantee the event goes smoothly."
So it's easy to understand why the supposedly joyous season can transform into a stressful ordeal for affected individuals.
Triggers that may seem harmless, like someone drinking champagne, unwrapping gifts, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can trigger a powerful reaction that can even lead to them avoiding social settings altogether.
The student, a university student, who has dealt with sound sensitivity from childhood, says her strategy 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 condition is more pronounced around people she's closest to, so the holidays is always "difficult".
"There is pressure to be around family, and I want to, but it's draining.
"I feel as if this sudden rage comes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel anxious and burst into tears and then the stress response will kick in.
"It may seem as if I'm being unreasonable and dramatic, but it's tough to describe unless you've experienced it."
Several Strategies to Manage
If you suffer then there are various strategies you can try to cope the situation, according to clinical psychologists.
- Imagine a Different Scenario: Creative thinking is essential. Try to associate the particular sound bothering you with an unrelated image. For instance, try to picture someone's slurping is just a waterfall. This technique is to retrain your mind that the sound triggering you poses no threat.
- Use Humor: Have a bit of fun and make the irritating noise into a competition involving the source. For example, if someone is crunching loudly have a go at joining in. Through participation, instead of feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an active participant. And the game aspect should help distract your brain and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Craft a Story: A further strategy is to try to create a little story 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 stays the same, your reaction of it moves from being aggravating, to feeling a bit more accepting towards it.
