Yuletide Transforms Into a Living Hell for Those with Misophonia.
One young woman anticipates seeing her loved ones during the festive period, but notes a primary method she'll manage to get through it is by relying on her noise-cancelling devices - notably for the holiday meal.
For the 23-year-old, Christmas often feels like a especially challenging time as the auditory triggers of family members munching, slurping and sniffling cause her extremely uncomfortable.
"I get this wave of sudden panic, my whole body will just tighten and it as though I'm in danger, and I need to manage these noises."
Lottie has lived with misophonia for several years and for her that causes the Christmas time "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to certain sounds, especially noises made by other people.
It's surprisingly common amongst adults. Researchers discovered a significant portion of people suffer from it.
Frequently it's sounds linked to mouth, throat or facial movements that lead to discomfort, as well as examples such as chewing, heavy breathing, and foot tapping.
A Source of Dread
Lottie says: "There are so many different triggering sounds at the holidays and that can be stressful and make you want to avoid it.
"Those close to me are supportive, but I'm very conscious 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 time of the year can transform into a living nightmare for affected individuals.
Noises that may seem harmless, like someone drinking champagne, opening presents, or enjoying festive food can provoke a powerful reaction that can even result in them skipping events entirely.
The student, a 21-year-old student, who has dealt with misophonia since aged 10, explains currently her plan is to listen to music to get through dinner. Typically, she would frequently go in a quiet area to minimize triggering sounds.
She explains her misophonia is more pronounced around people she's closest to, so Christmas is always "hard".
"People assume you to spend time with loved ones, and I desire to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"It's like this intense irritation comes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel stressed and immediately start crying and then the stress response will take over.
"To others it appears as if I'm being difficult and dramatic, but it's hard to explain unless you've experienced it."
A Few Techniques to Cope
If you suffer then there are a few methods you can attempt to manage the situation, based on advice from experts.
- Visualise a Different Scenario: Creative thinking is key. Try to associate the particular sound causing distress with a neutral concept. For instance, try to imagine someone's slurping is just a gentle stream. The goal is to help your brain learn that the sound triggering you poses no threat.
- Try a Competition: Have a bit of fun and turn the annoying sound into a challenge involving the source. For instance, if someone is crunching loudly attempt copying the noise. Through participation, rather than feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an active participant. And the game aspect should help distract your brain and make you a little less affected.
- Craft a Story: A further strategy is to try to fabricate an explanation about why the person creating the sound is behaving that way. Imagine if someone was sniffing, maybe they are not at their best or could be emotional. This approach is re-framing the context of the sound. While the sound remains identical, your interpretation of it moves from being irritating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate about it.
