Christmas Transforms Into a Nightmare for Misophonia Sufferers.
Lottie anticipates seeing her relatives over the holidays, but says one of the only ways she'll manage to get through it is by using her hearing protection - particularly at Christmas dinner.
For the 23-year-old, Christmas can be a particularly difficult period as the sounds of people eating, sipping loudly and breathing heavily trigger intense distress.
"I get this wave of immediate anxiety, my every muscle will just freeze and it as though I'm in danger, and I need to somehow control these noises."
The individual has lived with misophonia for several years and for her that causes the festive season "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to certain sounds, particularly those produced by other people.
The condition is widespread in the UK. A study reported nearly 20% people are affected by it.
Frequently it's noises connected to mouth, throat or facial movements that cause distress, as well as examples such as chewing, breathing, and pen clicking.
Triggering Stress
She explains: "There are so many different triggering sounds at Christmas and that can be stressful and make you fear it.
"Those close to me are understanding, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a internal conflict of enduring my distress to guarantee everyone else is happy."
So it's obvious why the most wonderful period can rapidly become a stressful ordeal for sufferers.
Sounds that may be considered normal, like someone drinking champagne, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or eating the holiday meal can provoke a strong emotional response that can even lead to them withdrawing from gatherings.
Jenna, a 21-year-old student, who has struggled with sound sensitivity since aged 10, explains the approach she intends to use is to listen to music to cope. On any other day, she would often retreat in a separate space to escape problematic noises.
She says her condition is more pronounced around people she's most familiar with, so Christmas is always "difficult".
"There's an expectation to spend time with family, and I desire to, but it's draining.
"The sensation is this uncontrollable anger washes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel panicked and begin to weep and then panic will kick in.
"It may seem as if I'm being oversensitive and melodramatic, but it's tough to describe without firsthand experience."
Three Ways to Manage
For those affected then there are some different techniques you can attempt to manage the situation, based on advice from specialists.
- Imagine Something Else: Imagination is essential. Try to associate the particular sound causing distress with a neutral concept. For instance, try to picture someone's noisy drinking is just a waterfall. This technique is to retrain your mind that the sound affecting you isn't harmful.
- Try a Competition: Introduce playfulness and turn the annoying sound into a competition with the culprit. For example, if someone is eating noisily try mimicking the sound. By mimicking, rather than feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an willing part. And the challenge should help distract your brain and make you a little less affected.
- Create a Scenario: Another technique is to try to invent a reason about the reason someone making the noise is having to make that sound. So if someone was making a nasal sound, maybe they are not in good health or are troubled. By doing this is altering the perception of the sound. Even though the sound doesn't change, your reaction of it moves from being annoying, to feeling a little more neutral towards it.
