Christmas Often Proves to Be a Terrifying Experience for Misophonia Sufferers.
Lottie is looking forward to spending time with her relatives this Christmas, but notes a key strategy she'll cope is by wearing her earplugs - particularly at the main festive feast.
For the 23-year-old, this time of year often feels like a especially challenging period as the noises of people eating, sipping loudly and breathing heavily trigger intense distress.
"There's this wave of instant dread, my entire being will just freeze and it feels like I'm in peril, and I need to stop these noises."
Lottie has experienced misophonia since she was 16 and for her that makes the festive season "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to particular auditory triggers, particularly those made by other people.
It's surprisingly common across the population. Experts found a significant portion of people experience it.
Frequently it's sounds connected to eating or drinking that lead to discomfort, along with things like crunching, breathing, and pen clicking.
A Source of Dread
Lottie says: "I face so many various auditory triggers at the holidays and that can be daunting and make you want to avoid it.
"My relatives are supportive, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a constant struggle of managing my symptoms to guarantee the event goes smoothly."
So it's easy to understand why the traditionally happy period 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 tucking into a Christmas dinner can trigger a strong emotional response that can even lead to them withdrawing from gatherings.
The student, a 21-year-old student, who has struggled with misophonia for over a decade, states her strategy is to put her earphones in to manage the meal. Usually, she would usually isolate herself in a separate space to avoid problematic noises.
She notes her misophonia is worse around people she's most familiar with, so the holidays is always "difficult".
"People assume you to socialize with family, and I wish to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"I feel as if this sudden rage comes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel anxious and burst into tears and then the stress response will take over.
"To others it appears as if I'm being difficult and melodramatic, but it's difficult to convey unless you've experienced it."
Three Ways to Cope
If you suffer then there are various strategies you can try to cope the situation, as suggested by specialists.
- Picture an Alternative: Mental imagery is essential. Try to associate the specific noise causing distress with an unrelated image. As an illustration, try to envision someone's slurping is just a gentle stream. The goal is to retrain your mind that the sound triggering you isn't harmful.
- Make it a Game: Introduce playfulness and turn the annoying sound into a challenge with the culprit. For instance, if someone is eating noisily attempt joining in. Through participation, instead of feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an active participant. And the competition element should help redirect your focus and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Develop a Narrative: One more method is to try to invent a reason about the reason someone creating the sound is behaving that way. Imagine if someone was sniffing, maybe they are not at their best or are troubled. This approach is changing the meaning of the sound. Even though the sound stays the same, your understanding of it changes from being irritating, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.
