Yuletide Transforms Into a Terrifying Experience for Those with Misophonia.
Lottie is looking forward to being with her family this Christmas, but notes a key strategy she'll manage to get through it is by wearing her noise-cancelling devices - especially during the holiday meal.
For the 23-year-old, Christmas can be a especially challenging time as the sounds of family members munching, drinking noisily and sniffling make her feel extremely uncomfortable.
"I experience this sensation of instant dread, my whole body will just tense up and it as though I'm in danger, and I need to stop these sounds."
The individual has experienced this condition since she was 16 and for her that makes the Christmas time "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to specific noises, especially noises produced by individuals.
The condition is widespread across the population. Researchers reported almost one in five people experience it.
Often it's sounds associated with mouth, throat or facial movements that cause distress, along with examples such as crunching, breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
A Source of Dread
The sufferer notes: "I face so many assorted problematic noises at Christmas and that can be stressful and make you want to avoid it.
"My relatives are aware, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a constant struggle of managing my symptoms to make sure everyone else is happy."
So it's clear why the most wonderful time of the year can quickly turn into a stressful ordeal for affected individuals.
Triggers that may seem harmless, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, unwrapping gifts, or eating the holiday meal can trigger a strong emotional response that can even result in them skipping events entirely.
The student, a university student, who has dealt with misophonia since aged 10, states the approach she intends to use is to put her earphones in to get through dinner. On any other day, she would usually isolate herself in a different room to escape problematic noises.
She says her misophonia is more intense around people she's closest to, so the holidays is always "challenging".
"People assume you to spend time with family, and I wish to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"I feel as if this uncontrollable anger washes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel stressed and immediately start crying and then fight-or-flight will kick in.
"To others it appears as if I'm being oversensitive and overreacting, but it's difficult to convey if you haven't felt it."
Several Strategies to Handle It
For those affected then there are some different techniques you can attempt to manage the situation, as suggested by specialists.
- Imagine Something Else: Creative thinking is crucial. Work on connecting the triggering sound bothering you with something completely different. So for example, try to envision someone's slurping is just a waterfall. This technique is to help your brain learn that the sound affecting you isn't harmful.
- Try a Competition: Introduce playfulness and turn the annoying sound into a game with the person. For example, if someone is crunching loudly try joining in. By mimicking, rather than feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an willing part. And the game aspect should help redirect your focus and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Develop a Narrative: One more method is to try to fabricate an explanation about the reason someone making the noise is doing it. Imagine if someone was sniffing, perhaps they're not in good health or are troubled. By doing this is re-framing the context of the sound. Although the noise remains identical, your understanding of it changes from being aggravating, to feeling a bit more accepting towards it.
