The Holiday Season Can Be a Terrifying Experience for Misophonia Sufferers.
Lottie is looking forward to seeing her relatives this Christmas, but notes a primary method she'll endure is by relying on her earplugs - especially during Christmas dinner.
For the 23-year-old, this time of year often feels like a particularly difficult time as the auditory triggers of family members munching, slurping and breathing heavily cause her profound anxiety.
"There's this wave of immediate anxiety, my whole body will just tighten and it as though I'm in danger, and I need to somehow control these triggers."
She has lived with misophonia since she was 16 and for her that causes the holiday period "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to certain sounds, particularly those made by other people.
It is prevalent in the UK. Experts discovered nearly 20% people experience it.
Frequently it's noises associated with eating or drinking that cause distress, including things like chewing, breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
A Source of Dread
She explains: "You encounter so many different triggering sounds at the holidays and that can be stressful and make you dread it.
"My relatives are aware, but I'm very aware that I don't want to upset others. It's like a constant struggle of enduring my distress to make sure the event goes smoothly."
So it's clear why the supposedly joyous season can transform into a living nightmare for those with the condition.
Sounds that may seem harmless, like someone sipping a beverage, opening presents, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can trigger a powerful reaction that can even result in them avoiding social settings altogether.
Jenna, a young adult, who has experienced sound sensitivity from childhood, explains her strategy is to put her earphones in to get through dinner. Typically, she would frequently go in a different room to avoid problematic noises.
She notes her misophonia is more intense around people she's most familiar with, so the holidays is always "difficult".
"There is pressure to be around family, and I wish to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"It's like this intense irritation comes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel stressed and burst into tears and then panic will kick in.
"It may seem as if I'm being unreasonable and dramatic, but it's tough to describe without firsthand experience."
Several Strategies to Manage
If you suffer then there are various strategies you can use to handle the situation, based on advice from clinical psychologists.
- Visualise Something Else: Mental imagery is key. Work on connecting the particular sound causing distress with an unrelated image. As an illustration, try to picture someone's slurping is just a sink draining water. By doing this is to retrain your mind that the sound triggering you poses no threat.
- Make it a Game: Use lightheartedness and turn the annoying sound into a game with the culprit. For example, if someone is crunching loudly try copying the noise. By joining in, instead of feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an willing part. And the competition element should help redirect your focus and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Create a Scenario: Another technique is to try to invent a reason about the reason someone making the noise is having to make that sound. So if someone was making a nasal sound, maybe they are not in good health or are troubled. This approach is re-framing the context of the sound. While the noise stays the same, your understanding of it moves from being annoying, to feeling a little more neutral about it.
