The Holiday Season Transforms Into a Terrifying Experience for Misophonia Sufferers.
Lottie hopes for being with her family this Christmas, but admits one of the only ways she'll manage to get through it is by wearing her hearing protection - particularly at Christmas dinner.
For the 23-year-old, the holidays can be a notably tough period as the sounds of other people chewing, sipping loudly and breathing heavily trigger extremely uncomfortable.
"There's this sensation of sudden panic, my every muscle will just freeze and it seems as if I'm in peril, and I need to somehow control these triggers."
She has experienced misophonia from a young age and for her that renders the festive season "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to particular auditory triggers, particularly those made by other people.
It's surprisingly common across the population. Researchers discovered nearly 20% people suffer from it.
Typically it's noises linked to eating or drinking that cause distress, as well as examples such as chewing, breathing, and pen clicking.
Triggering Stress
Lottie says: "I face so many assorted problematic noises at the holidays and that can be stressful and make you want to avoid it.
"My family are aware, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to upset others. It's like a constant struggle of enduring my distress to ensure the event goes smoothly."
So it's easy to understand why the supposedly joyous period can quickly turn into a living nightmare for those with the condition.
Triggers that may seem harmless, like someone sipping a beverage, unwrapping gifts, or eating the holiday meal can trigger a strong emotional response that can even result in them withdrawing from gatherings.
She, a 21-year-old student, who has dealt with misophonia since aged 10, says the approach she intends to use is to put her earphones in to cope. Typically, she would usually isolate herself in a different room to escape distressing triggers.
She notes her condition is more pronounced around people she's closest to, so the holidays is always "difficult".
"There's an expectation to be around family, and I desire to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"The sensation is this uncontrollable anger takes hold, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel panicked and begin to weep and then fight-or-flight will take over.
"To others it appears as if I'm being unreasonable and overreacting, but it's difficult to convey unless you've experienced it."
Several Strategies to Cope
If it's an issue then there are some different techniques you can try to cope the situation, according to specialists.
- Picture Something Else: Imagination is crucial. Attempt to link the specific noise bothering you with an unrelated image. For instance, try to envision someone's slurping is just a waterfall. This technique is to help your brain learn that the sound affecting you poses no threat.
- Try a Competition: Use lightheartedness and turn the annoying sound into a game with the person. For example, if someone is eating noisily have a go at joining in. By joining in, instead of feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an engaged person. And the competition element should help distract your brain and make you a little less affected.
- Create a Scenario: A further strategy is to try to fabricate an explanation about why the person making the noise is having to make that sound. For example if someone was sniffing, maybe they are not feeling well or could be emotional. The idea is changing the meaning of the sound. While the noise remains identical, your reaction of it changes from being aggravating, to feeling a little more neutral about it.
