The Holiday Season Can Be a Terrifying Experience for Misophonia Sufferers.
One young woman is looking forward to seeing her loved ones during the festive period, but admits a primary method she'll endure is by using her noise-cancelling devices - especially during the main festive feast.
For her, this time of year is a particularly difficult season as the sounds of other people chewing, sipping loudly and breathing heavily make her feel intense distress.
"There's this wave of sudden panic, my entire being will just freeze and it as though I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to somehow control these sounds."
She has suffered from this condition for several years and for her that makes the festive season "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to specific noises, notably sounds made by individuals.
The condition is widespread across the population. A study reported nearly 20% people are affected by it.
Often it's noises connected to bodily functions that lead to discomfort, including things like crunching, breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
Triggering Stress
Lottie says: "I face so many assorted problematic noises at the holidays and that can be anxiety inducing and make you fear it.
"Those close to me are aware, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a constant struggle of sacrificing my own sanity to make sure others enjoy themselves."
So it's easy to understand why the most wonderful season can rapidly become a living nightmare for affected individuals.
Noises that may seem harmless, like someone drinking champagne, opening presents, or enjoying festive food can provoke a visceral feeling that can even result in them skipping events entirely.
She, a 21-year-old student, who has experienced misophonia for over a decade, says the approach she intends to use is to put her earphones in to get through dinner. On any other day, she would often retreat in a quiet area to avoid triggering sounds.
She explains her misophonia is worse around people she's most comfortable with, so the holidays is always "hard".
"There is pressure to be around family, and I wish to, but it's draining.
"I feel as if this intense irritation takes hold, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel anxious and immediately start crying and then panic will take over.
"It can come across as if I'm being unreasonable and melodramatic, but it's difficult to convey if you haven't felt it."
Several Strategies to Cope
If you suffer then there are some different techniques you can try to cope the situation, based on advice from specialists.
- Picture Something Else: Mental imagery is essential. Work on connecting the particular sound causing distress with something completely different. So for example, try to envision someone's slurping is just a gentle stream. By doing this is to help your brain learn that the sound affecting you isn't harmful.
- Try a Competition: Introduce playfulness and turn the annoying sound into a competition with the culprit. As an example, if someone is eating noisily attempt copying the noise. By joining in, rather than feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an willing part. And the competition element should help redirect your focus and make you a little less affected.
- Create a Scenario: A further strategy is to try to invent a reason about why the person creating the sound is doing it. So if someone was making a nasal sound, maybe they are not feeling well or are troubled. By doing this is changing the meaning of the sound. Although the sound stays the same, your reaction of it shifts from being irritating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate about it.