Yuletide Often Proves to Be a Living Hell for Misophonia Sufferers.
Lottie is looking forward to seeing her relatives during the festive period, but says a key strategy she'll manage to get through it is by using her hearing protection - notably for the holiday meal.
For the 23-year-old, the holidays often feels like a especially challenging period as the sounds of other people chewing, slurping and nose-blowing make her feel profound anxiety.
"I experience this wave of sudden panic, my entire being will just freeze and it seems as if I'm in peril, and I need to stop these noises."
Lottie has experienced sound sensitivity since she was 16 and for her that makes the holiday period "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to specific noises, especially noises made by those around you.
It is prevalent amongst adults. A study reported almost one in five people suffer from it.
Frequently it's sounds connected to mouth, throat or facial movements that lead to discomfort, including things like chewing, breathing, and pen clicking.
A Source of Dread
She explains: "There are so many assorted problematic noises at the holidays and that can be anxiety inducing and make you dread it.
"Those close to me are understanding, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a really big battle of managing my symptoms to guarantee the event goes smoothly."
So it's obvious why the most wonderful period can rapidly become a stressful ordeal for sufferers.
Noises that may be considered normal, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, unwrapping gifts, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can provoke a visceral feeling that can even result in them withdrawing from gatherings.
She, a 21-year-old student, who has experienced misophonia for over a decade, states her strategy is to use headphones to cope. Usually, she would usually isolate herself in a quiet area to avoid distressing triggers.
She says her condition is more intense around people she's most familiar with, so Christmas is always "hard".
"People assume you to socialize with loved ones, and I wish to, but it's draining.
"The sensation is this intense irritation takes hold, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel anxious and begin to weep and then the stress response will kick in.
"To others it appears as if I'm being unreasonable and dramatic, but it's hard to explain unless you've experienced it."
Three Ways to Handle It
For those affected then there are some different techniques you can attempt to manage the situation, based on advice from specialists.
- Picture Something Else: Creative thinking is crucial. Attempt to link the specific noise bothering you with something completely different. So for example, try to picture someone's slurping is just a sink draining water. By doing this is to teach your brain that the sound triggering you poses no threat.
- Use Humor: Have a bit of fun and make the irritating noise into a competition involving the source. As an example, if someone is eating noisily have a go at copying the noise. By mimicking, rather than feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an active participant. And the challenge should help shift your attention and make you a little less affected.
- Create a Scenario: A further strategy is to try to fabricate an explanation about the reason someone creating the sound is behaving that way. Imagine if someone was making a nasal sound, maybe they are not feeling well or maybe they're upset. The idea is re-framing the context of the sound. While the noise remains identical, your understanding of it changes from being irritating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate about it.
