The Holiday Season Can Be a Nightmare for Those with Misophonia.
Lottie is looking forward to spending time with her family over the holidays, but admits a key strategy she'll endure is by wearing her noise-cancelling devices - notably for Christmas dinner.
For the 23-year-old, the holidays can be a particularly difficult time as the auditory triggers of other people chewing, slurping and breathing heavily cause her extremely uncomfortable.
"There's this wave of instant dread, my every muscle will just tighten and it as though I'm in danger, and I need to manage these triggers."
The individual has experienced misophonia for several years and for her that renders the holiday period "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to certain sounds, notably sounds coming from other people.
The condition is widespread amongst adults. A study found almost one in five people are affected by it.
Frequently it's sounds linked to mouth, throat or facial movements that trigger a reaction, including examples such as crunching, heavy breathing, and foot tapping.
Triggering Stress
The sufferer notes: "There are so many various auditory triggers at the holidays and that can be stressful and make you dread it.
"Those close to me are supportive, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a really big battle of managing my symptoms to make sure the event goes smoothly."
So it's easy to understand why the most wonderful time of the year can rapidly become a stressful ordeal for sufferers.
Noises that may appear innocuous, like someone sipping a beverage, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or enjoying festive food can cause a powerful reaction that can even lead to them withdrawing from gatherings.
Jenna, a university student, who has struggled with misophonia from childhood, explains her strategy is to put her earphones in to cope. Typically, she would often retreat in a quiet area to avoid distressing triggers.
She explains her misophonia is worse around people she's most comfortable with, so the holidays is always "challenging".
"People assume you to socialize with family, and I want to, but it's draining.
"It's like this sudden rage comes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel panicked and begin to weep and then fight-or-flight will activate.
"It may seem as if I'm being unreasonable and overreacting, but it's hard to explain without firsthand experience."
Three Ways to Handle It
If you suffer then there are various strategies you can use to handle the situation, as suggested by specialists.
- Visualise an Alternative: Imagination is key. Try to associate the specific noise bothering you with something completely different. As an illustration, try to envision someone's noisy drinking is just a sink draining water. The goal is to help your brain learn that the sound triggering you is neutral.
- Try a Competition: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a competition with the person. For instance, if someone is crunching loudly try copying the noise. Through participation, instead of feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an active participant. And the challenge should help shift your attention and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Craft a Story: A further strategy is to try to create a little story about why the person making the noise is doing it. Imagine if someone was sniffing, perhaps they're not feeling well or could be emotional. By doing this is changing the meaning of the sound. Even though the sound stays the same, your interpretation of it shifts from being aggravating, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.
