Christmas Transforms Into a Living Hell for Misophonia Sufferers.
Lottie is looking forward to seeing her relatives during the festive period, but admits a key strategy she'll cope is by relying on her noise-cancelling devices - especially during the holiday meal.
For the 23-year-old, Christmas is a notably tough period as the sounds of people eating, slurping and sniffling cause her extremely uncomfortable.
"There's this wave of instant dread, my whole body will just freeze and it seems as if I'm in peril, and I need to somehow control these noises."
Lottie has experienced misophonia since she was 16 and for her that causes the holiday period "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to particular auditory triggers, especially noises produced by those around you.
The condition is widespread across the population. A study reported almost one in five people are affected by it.
Typically it's sounds connected to mouth, throat or facial movements that lead to discomfort, along with things like chewing, breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
'Anxiety Inducing'
The sufferer notes: "I face so many assorted problematic noises at Christmas and that can be stressful and make you fear it.
"Those close to me are understanding, but I'm very aware that I don't want to upset others. It's like a internal conflict of managing my symptoms to guarantee the event goes smoothly."
So it's easy to understand why the most wonderful season can transform into a source of agony for sufferers.
Noises that may be considered normal, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, opening presents, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can trigger a strong emotional response that can even result in them withdrawing from gatherings.
Jenna, a university student, who has experienced misophonia since aged 10, states her strategy is to put her earphones in to cope. Usually, she would usually isolate herself in a quiet area to escape problematic noises.
She says her sensitivity is worse around people she's closest to, so the holidays is always "difficult".
"There's an expectation to spend time with family, and I desire to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"The sensation is this intense irritation takes hold, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel panicked and burst into tears and then panic will kick in.
"To others it appears as if I'm being difficult and melodramatic, but it's difficult to convey if you haven't felt it."
Three Ways to Handle It
If it's an issue then there are a few methods you can attempt to manage the situation, based on advice from specialists.
- Imagine an Alternative: Imagination is key. Try to associate the specific noise causing distress with an unrelated image. For instance, try to envision someone's noisy drinking is just a waterfall. This technique is to retrain your mind that the sound triggering you isn't harmful.
- Make it a Game: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a challenge involving the source. As an example, if someone is crunching loudly attempt mimicking the sound. By joining in, instead of feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an engaged person. And the challenge should help shift your attention and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Craft a Story: One more method is to try to fabricate an explanation about the reason someone creating the sound is behaving that way. For example if someone was making a nasal sound, it could be that they're not feeling well or could be emotional. This approach is changing the meaning of the sound. Even though the sound remains identical, your interpretation of it moves from being annoying, to feeling a slightly more compassionate about it.
