Christmas Transforms Into a Terrifying Experience for Misophonia Sufferers.
A 23-year-old hopes for spending time with her loved ones over the holidays, but notes one of the only ways she'll endure is by using her earplugs - particularly at the holiday meal.
For her, this time of year is a particularly difficult season as the auditory triggers of people eating, drinking noisily and breathing heavily trigger extremely uncomfortable.
"I get this feeling of sudden panic, my whole body will just freeze and it feels like I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to somehow control these triggers."
Lottie has experienced misophonia from a young age and for her that causes the Christmas time "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to certain sounds, especially noises produced by individuals.
The condition is widespread across the population. Experts discovered almost one in five people suffer from it.
Often it's noises linked to mouth, throat or facial movements that lead to discomfort, as well as examples such as crunching, breathing, and foot tapping.
Triggering Stress
Lottie says: "You encounter so many different triggering sounds at Christmas and that can be stressful and make you want to avoid it.
"My relatives are understanding, but I'm very aware that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a internal conflict of managing my symptoms to ensure the event goes smoothly."
So it's obvious why the supposedly joyous period can transform into a stressful ordeal for sufferers.
Sounds that may seem harmless, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, opening presents, or enjoying festive food can trigger a powerful reaction that can even result in them avoiding social settings altogether.
Jenna, a university student, who has experienced sound sensitivity since aged 10, says currently her plan is to listen to music to manage the meal. Usually, she would usually isolate herself in a different room to minimize distressing triggers.
She notes her condition is more pronounced around people she's most comfortable with, so the holidays is always "hard".
"There is pressure to spend time with loved ones, and I wish to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"It's like this sudden rage washes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel stressed and begin to weep and then panic will activate.
"It may seem as if I'm being oversensitive and overreacting, but it's difficult to convey if you haven't felt it."
A Few Techniques to Handle It
If it's an issue then there are a few methods you can attempt to manage the situation, based on advice from experts.
- Visualise Something Else: Imagination is essential. Try to associate the particular sound causing distress with something completely different. For instance, try to picture someone's slurping is just a sink draining water. The goal is to teach your brain that the sound affecting you poses no threat.
- Make it a Game: Have a bit of fun and make the irritating noise into a competition involving the source. For example, if someone is eating noisily have a go at mimicking the sound. By joining in, instead of feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an active participant. And the challenge should help distract your brain and make you a little less affected.
- Craft a Story: One more method is to try to create a little story about why the person making the noise is behaving that way. Imagine if someone was making a nasal sound, perhaps they're not at their best or could be emotional. The idea is altering the perception of the sound. While the sound remains identical, your understanding of it changes from being annoying, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.
