Yuletide Transforms Into a Living Hell for Misophonia Sufferers.
One young woman anticipates seeing her relatives over the holidays, but says a key strategy she'll endure is by using her earplugs - particularly at the main festive feast.
For her, Christmas often feels like a particularly difficult period as the auditory triggers of family members munching, drinking noisily and sniffling make her feel extremely uncomfortable.
"I experience this wave of immediate anxiety, my every muscle will just freeze and it feels like I'm in danger, and I need to somehow control these noises."
She has suffered from sound sensitivity from a young age and for her that renders the festive season "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to specific noises, especially noises made by individuals.
The condition is widespread across the population. Experts discovered a significant portion of people are affected by it.
Often it's noises connected to mouth, throat or facial movements that trigger a reaction, including things like crunching, breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
'Anxiety Inducing'
Lottie says: "There are so many assorted problematic noises at the holidays and that can be daunting and make you dread it.
"My relatives are understanding, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a constant struggle of sacrificing my own sanity to guarantee everyone else is happy."
So it's clear why the traditionally happy time of the year can rapidly become a source of agony for affected individuals.
Sounds that may seem harmless, like someone sipping a beverage, unwrapping gifts, or eating the holiday meal can trigger a visceral feeling that can even cause them avoiding social settings altogether.
She, a university student, who has struggled with misophonia for over a decade, says her strategy is to put her earphones in to cope. On any other day, she would often retreat in a separate space to escape distressing triggers.
She says her sensitivity is more pronounced around people she's closest to, so the holidays is always "challenging".
"There is pressure to be around loved ones, and I desire to, but it's draining.
"The sensation is this uncontrollable anger takes hold, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel anxious and immediately start crying and then fight-or-flight will kick in.
"It can come across as if I'm being unreasonable and melodramatic, but it's tough to describe if you haven't felt it."
A Few Techniques to Cope
If it's an issue then there are a few methods you can use to handle the situation, according to experts.
- Imagine Something Else: Creative thinking is crucial. Try to associate the particular sound affecting you with an unrelated image. As an illustration, try to envision someone's noisy drinking is just a waterfall. This technique is to help your brain learn that the sound triggering you is neutral.
- Use Humor: Use lightheartedness and make the irritating noise into a competition involving the source. As an example, if someone is eating noisily try mimicking the sound. Through participation, rather than feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an willing part. And the game aspect should help shift your attention and make you a little less affected.
- Create a Scenario: One more method is to try to create a little story about why the person making the noise is having to make that sound. So if someone was sniffing, it could be that they're not feeling well or maybe they're upset. By doing this is changing the meaning of the sound. Even though the noise stays the same, your understanding of it moves from being aggravating, to feeling a little more neutral towards it.
