The Holiday Season Transforms Into a Terrifying Experience for Those with Misophonia.
Lottie hopes for being with her relatives over the holidays, but admits a primary method she'll endure is by using her hearing protection - notably for Christmas dinner.
For the 23-year-old, the holidays is a especially challenging season as the sounds of other people chewing, sipping loudly and breathing heavily trigger extremely uncomfortable.
"There's this feeling of sudden panic, my every muscle will just freeze and it as though I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to manage these noises."
Lottie has suffered from this condition for several years and for her that makes the festive season "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to particular auditory triggers, particularly those made by individuals.
It's surprisingly common amongst adults. A study found almost one in five people experience it.
Typically it's sounds associated with eating or drinking that cause distress, including examples such as chewing, heavy breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
'Anxiety Inducing'
The sufferer notes: "You encounter so many various auditory triggers at the holidays and that can be stressful and make you dread it.
"My family are understanding, but I'm very aware that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a constant struggle of sacrificing my own sanity to make sure the event goes smoothly."
So it's easy to understand why the supposedly joyous season can rapidly become a source of agony for those with the condition.
Triggers that may appear innocuous, like someone sipping a beverage, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can provoke a visceral feeling that can even result in them skipping events entirely.
Jenna, a young adult, who has struggled with misophonia since aged 10, states currently her plan is to listen to music to manage the meal. Usually, she would frequently go in a separate space to minimize problematic noises.
She notes her misophonia is worse around people she's most familiar with, so the holidays is always "hard".
"There is pressure to spend time with loved ones, and I want to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"The sensation is this uncontrollable anger takes hold, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel anxious and burst into tears and then panic will activate.
"It can come across as if I'm being oversensitive and overreacting, but it's hard to explain if you haven't felt it."
A Few Techniques to Cope
If you suffer then there are a few methods you can use to handle the situation, as suggested by experts.
- Picture an Alternative: Mental imagery is essential. Work on connecting the triggering sound causing distress with something completely different. As an illustration, try to imagine someone's slurping is just a gentle stream. The goal is to retrain your mind that the sound affecting you is neutral.
- Use Humor: Use lightheartedness and turn the annoying sound into a challenge with the person. For example, if someone is eating noisily try joining in. By joining in, instead of feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an engaged person. And the game aspect should help redirect your focus and make you a little less affected.
- Develop a Narrative: A further strategy is to try to fabricate an explanation about why the person making the noise is having to make that sound. So if someone was sniffing, maybe they are not in good health or could be emotional. By doing this is altering the perception of the sound. Although the noise stays the same, your reaction of it shifts from being annoying, to feeling a little more neutral towards it.
