Yuletide Transforms Into a Terrifying Experience for Misophonia Sufferers.
A 23-year-old anticipates spending time with her family this Christmas, but admits a primary method she'll endure is by wearing her noise-cancelling devices - notably for Christmas dinner.
In her case, Christmas can be a especially challenging time as the sounds of other people chewing, drinking noisily and breathing heavily trigger profound anxiety.
"There's this feeling of instant dread, my entire being will just tense up and it as though I'm in peril, and I need to stop these sounds."
Lottie has lived with this condition from a young age and for her that renders the holiday period "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to certain sounds, notably sounds made by individuals.
It is prevalent across the population. Experts found a significant portion of people suffer from it.
Frequently it's noises linked to eating or drinking that trigger a reaction, along with things like crunching, heavy breathing, and pen clicking.
Triggering Stress
Lottie says: "There are so many different triggering sounds at Christmas and that can be daunting and make you want to avoid it.
"My family are aware, but I'm very aware that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a constant struggle of managing my symptoms to ensure the event goes smoothly."
So it's easy to understand why the most wonderful season can rapidly become a source of agony for sufferers.
Triggers that may be considered normal, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, opening presents, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can cause a visceral feeling that can even lead to them withdrawing from gatherings.
Jenna, a university student, who has struggled with misophonia for over a decade, explains currently her plan is to put her earphones in to manage the meal. Usually, she would usually isolate herself in a different room to escape distressing triggers.
She says her condition is more intense around people she's most familiar with, so Christmas is always "challenging".
"There's an expectation to spend time with loved ones, and I desire to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"The sensation is this uncontrollable anger comes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel anxious and burst into tears and then the stress response will kick in.
"To others it appears as if I'm being difficult and dramatic, but it's difficult to convey if you haven't felt it."
Several Strategies to Handle It
If you suffer then there are various strategies you can try to cope the situation, based on advice from specialists.
- Visualise an Alternative: Mental imagery is key. Work on connecting the specific noise causing distress with a neutral concept. As an illustration, try to imagine someone's slurping is just a sink draining water. This technique is to help your brain learn that the sound triggering you isn't harmful.
- Make it a Game: Have a bit of fun and make the irritating noise into a competition with the culprit. As an example, if someone is eating noisily attempt mimicking the sound. Through participation, rather than feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an willing part. And the challenge should help distract your brain and make you a little less affected.
- Craft a Story: Another technique is to try to create a little story about why the person making the noise is behaving that way. For example if someone was making a nasal sound, it could be that they're not at their best or are troubled. This approach is re-framing the context of the sound. Even though the sound doesn't change, your understanding of it shifts from being aggravating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate towards it.
