Yuletide Often Proves to Be a Nightmare for Misophonia Sufferers.
Lottie hopes for spending time with her loved ones during the festive period, but says a primary method she'll endure is by using her hearing protection - notably for the holiday meal.
For her, this time of year is a especially challenging season as the noises of other people chewing, sipping loudly and sniffling cause her profound anxiety.
"I get this feeling of sudden panic, my whole body will just tense up and it seems as if I'm in danger, and I need to somehow control these noises."
The individual has lived with this condition since she was 16 and for her that renders the festive season "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to certain sounds, particularly those produced by individuals.
The condition is widespread across the population. Experts found almost one in five people experience it.
Frequently it's noises linked to eating or drinking that trigger a reaction, along with examples such as crunching, breathing, and foot tapping.
'Anxiety Inducing'
She explains: "There are so many different triggering sounds at the holidays and that can be daunting and make you fear it.
"My relatives are understanding, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a internal conflict of managing my symptoms to ensure the event goes smoothly."
So it's obvious why the traditionally happy season can transform into a living nightmare for those with the condition.
Triggers that may seem harmless, like someone drinking champagne, opening presents, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can cause a powerful reaction that can even result in them avoiding social settings altogether.
Jenna, a 21-year-old student, who has struggled with misophonia from childhood, says the approach she intends to use is to listen to music to manage the meal. On any other day, she would often retreat in a quiet area to escape triggering sounds.
She says her condition is more intense around people she's most comfortable with, so the holidays is always "difficult".
"There's an expectation to spend time with family, and I want to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"I feel as if this uncontrollable anger takes hold, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel panicked and burst into tears and then panic will kick in.
"It can come across as if I'm being unreasonable and melodramatic, but it's hard to explain without firsthand experience."
Several Strategies to Handle It
If you suffer then there are various strategies you can use to handle the situation, according to specialists.
- Picture Something Else: Creative thinking is key. Attempt to link the particular sound bothering you with an unrelated image. As an illustration, try to imagine someone's slurping is just a gentle stream. The goal is to help your brain learn that the sound affecting you is neutral.
- Use Humor: Use lightheartedness and turn the annoying sound into a competition with the person. For example, if someone is crunching loudly have a go at mimicking the sound. By joining in, rather than feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an engaged person. And the game aspect should help shift your attention and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Develop a Narrative: Another technique is to try to invent a reason about the reason someone making the noise is having to make that sound. Imagine if someone was sniffing, it could be that they're not feeling well or maybe they're upset. By doing this is altering the perception of the sound. Although the noise doesn't change, your interpretation of it changes from being irritating, to feeling a little more neutral towards it.
