The Holiday Season Transforms Into a Nightmare for Misophonia Sufferers.
One young woman hopes for being with her family during the festive period, but admits one of the only ways she'll endure is by relying on her noise-cancelling devices - especially during Christmas dinner.
For her, Christmas is a particularly difficult time as the noises of people eating, slurping and breathing heavily cause her extremely uncomfortable.
"I get this sensation of immediate anxiety, my entire being will just tense up and it seems as if I'm in peril, 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 decreased threshold to specific noises, notably sounds produced by individuals.
It's surprisingly common across the population. A study discovered nearly 20% people suffer from it.
Typically it's noises associated with bodily functions that lead to discomfort, including examples such as chewing, heavy breathing, and foot tapping.
A Source of Dread
Lottie says: "There are so many assorted problematic noises at Christmas and that can be anxiety inducing and make you want to avoid it.
"My relatives are aware, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a really big battle of sacrificing my own sanity to guarantee everyone else is happy."
So it's obvious why the most wonderful period can quickly turn into a stressful ordeal for sufferers.
Triggers that may appear innocuous, like someone sipping a beverage, unwrapping gifts, or enjoying festive food can trigger a visceral feeling that can even lead to them skipping events entirely.
The student, a university student, who has experienced misophonia from childhood, states her strategy is to put her earphones in to get through dinner. On any other day, she would usually isolate herself in a different room to minimize problematic noises.
She says her sensitivity is worse around people she's most familiar with, so Christmas is always "hard".
"There is pressure to socialize with family, and I wish to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"I feel as if this uncontrollable anger comes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel anxious and burst into tears and then panic will activate.
"To others it appears as if I'm being oversensitive and overreacting, but it's difficult to convey unless you've experienced it."
Several Strategies to Handle It
If it's an issue then there are some different techniques you can attempt to manage the situation, according to clinical psychologists.
- Picture Something Else: Imagination is crucial. Attempt to link the triggering sound bothering you with a neutral concept. For instance, try to envision someone's slurping is just a waterfall. The goal is to retrain your mind that the sound triggering you is neutral.
- Use Humor: Use lightheartedness and make the irritating noise into a competition involving the source. For instance, if someone is crunching loudly have a go at mimicking the sound. By mimicking, instead of feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an active participant. And the game aspect should help redirect your focus and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Develop a Narrative: Another technique is to try to fabricate an explanation about the reason someone creating the sound is doing it. So if someone was making a nasal sound, maybe they are not in good health or maybe they're upset. By doing this is changing the meaning of the sound. While the noise doesn't change, your understanding of it moves from being annoying, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.
