Yuletide Can Be a Nightmare for Those with Misophonia.
One young woman anticipates spending time with her loved ones this Christmas, but admits a key strategy she'll manage to get through it is by using her earplugs - notably for the holiday meal.
For her, the holidays can be a particularly difficult period as the auditory triggers of people eating, sipping loudly and sniffling cause her profound anxiety.
"I get this feeling of immediate anxiety, my every muscle will just freeze and it as though I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to manage these sounds."
Lottie has suffered from sound sensitivity from a young age and for her that causes the holiday period "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to specific noises, notably sounds produced by those around you.
It is prevalent across the population. Experts reported a significant portion of people suffer from it.
Typically it's noises connected to mouth, throat or facial movements that lead to discomfort, as well as examples such as crunching, heavy breathing, and pen clicking.
A Source of Dread
The sufferer notes: "There are so many assorted problematic noises at the holidays and that can be stressful and make you dread it.
"My relatives are supportive, but I'm very aware that I don't want to upset others. It's like a really big battle of sacrificing my own sanity to guarantee others enjoy themselves."
So it's obvious why the traditionally happy time of the year can quickly turn into a living nightmare for affected individuals.
Triggers that may be considered normal, like someone sipping a beverage, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or enjoying festive food can cause a powerful reaction that can even lead to them skipping events entirely.
She, a young adult, who has dealt with sound sensitivity since aged 10, explains her strategy is to put her earphones in to get through dinner. Usually, she would frequently go in a different room to minimize triggering sounds.
She says her misophonia is more pronounced around people she's closest to, so Christmas is always "hard".
"There's an expectation to socialize with family, and I desire to, but it's draining.
"The sensation is this intense irritation comes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel panicked and burst into tears and then panic will kick in.
"To others it appears as if I'm being unreasonable and dramatic, but it's tough to describe unless you've experienced it."
A Few Techniques to Handle It
If you suffer then there are various strategies you can try to cope the situation, as suggested by specialists.
- Picture a Different Scenario: Imagination is key. Work on connecting the particular sound bothering you with a neutral concept. For instance, try to envision someone's slurping is just a sink draining water. This technique is to retrain your mind that the sound triggering you isn't harmful.
- Try a Competition: Use lightheartedness and turn the annoying sound into a game with the person. As an example, if someone is eating noisily have a go at joining in. By joining in, instead of feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an active participant. And the challenge 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. So if someone was making a nasal sound, maybe they are not at their best or could be emotional. This approach is changing the meaning of the sound. Although the noise doesn't change, your interpretation of it changes from being annoying, to feeling a bit more accepting towards it.
