Yuletide Can Be a Nightmare for Those with Misophonia.
Lottie anticipates seeing her family over the holidays, but notes one of the only ways she'll manage to get through it is by wearing her noise-cancelling devices - particularly at the holiday meal.
In her case, this time of year can be a notably tough time as the noises of people eating, slurping and nose-blowing trigger extremely uncomfortable.
"I experience this sensation of instant dread, my whole body will just freeze and it feels like I'm in danger, and I need to manage these sounds."
She has suffered from sound sensitivity since she was 16 and for her that renders the holiday period "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to particular auditory triggers, especially noises coming from individuals.
The condition is widespread amongst adults. Experts discovered almost one in five people suffer from it.
Typically it's noises associated with eating or drinking that cause distress, including examples such as chewing, breathing, and foot 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 family 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 ensure others enjoy themselves."
So it's obvious why the traditionally happy season can transform into a source of agony for those with the condition.
Triggers that may seem harmless, like someone sipping a beverage, opening presents, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can provoke a visceral feeling that can even result in them skipping events entirely.
The student, a young adult, who has dealt with misophonia for over a decade, says currently her plan is to put her earphones in to manage the meal. Usually, she would frequently go in a separate space to minimize distressing triggers.
She says her misophonia is more intense around people she's most comfortable with, so the holidays is always "difficult".
"There's an expectation to be around loved ones, and I wish to, but it's draining.
"It's like this uncontrollable anger comes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel panicked and burst into tears and then fight-or-flight will activate.
"It may seem as if I'm being oversensitive and overreacting, but it's tough to describe if you haven't felt it."
Several Strategies to Manage
If it's an issue then there are a few methods you can try to cope the situation, as suggested by experts.
- Imagine a Different Scenario: Creative thinking is key. Try to associate the particular sound bothering you with something completely different. As an illustration, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a sink draining water. By doing this is to retrain your mind that the sound triggering you isn't harmful.
- Try a Competition: Introduce playfulness and turn the annoying sound into a challenge with the culprit. For example, if someone is crunching loudly attempt joining in. Through participation, instead of feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an willing part. And the game aspect should help redirect your focus and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Develop a Narrative: A further strategy is to try to fabricate an explanation about why the person making the noise is behaving that way. For example if someone was making a nasal sound, maybe they are not in good health or could be emotional. The idea is re-framing the context of the sound. While the noise stays the same, your interpretation of it shifts from being aggravating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate towards it.
