Yuletide Often Proves to Be a Living Hell for Those with Misophonia.
One young woman is looking forward to being with her relatives over the holidays, but says a key strategy she'll cope is by relying on her earplugs - notably for the holiday meal.
In her case, Christmas is a particularly difficult season as the noises of family members munching, sipping loudly and nose-blowing trigger extremely uncomfortable.
"I experience this wave of sudden panic, my every muscle will just freeze and it as though I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to somehow control these triggers."
Lottie has lived with this condition for several years and for her that causes the Christmas time "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to specific noises, especially noises produced by individuals.
It's surprisingly common across the population. Experts reported almost one in five people experience it.
Typically it's noises associated with mouth, throat or facial movements that trigger a reaction, as well as things like chewing, breathing, and pen clicking.
A Source of Dread
The sufferer notes: "I face so many different triggering sounds at Christmas and that can be daunting and make you fear it.
"My family are understanding, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a really big battle of enduring my distress to make sure the event goes smoothly."
So it's clear why the most wonderful period can rapidly become a stressful ordeal for sufferers.
Triggers that may be considered normal, like someone sipping a beverage, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or enjoying festive food can provoke a powerful reaction that can even cause them withdrawing from gatherings.
She, a 21-year-old student, who has dealt with sound sensitivity since aged 10, states her strategy is to use headphones to cope. On any other day, she would often retreat in a different room to minimize problematic noises.
She says her misophonia is worse around people she's most familiar with, so the holidays is always "difficult".
"There is pressure to be around family, and I desire to, but it's draining.
"It's like this intense irritation takes hold, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel panicked and burst into tears and then the stress response will activate.
"It can come across as if I'm being oversensitive and dramatic, but it's difficult to convey unless you've experienced it."
Several Strategies to Handle It
For those affected then there are various strategies you can use to handle the situation, according to experts.
- Imagine Something Else: Creative thinking is essential. Attempt to link the specific noise causing distress with a neutral concept. As an illustration, try to picture someone's noisy drinking is just a sink draining water. This technique is to teach your brain that the sound triggering you isn't harmful.
- Use Humor: Have a bit of fun and turn the annoying sound into a challenge with the culprit. For example, if someone is crunching loudly have a go at copying the noise. By mimicking, instead of feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an willing part. And the competition element should help shift your attention and make you a little less affected.
- Craft a Story: A further strategy is to try to fabricate an explanation about the reason someone making the noise is behaving that way. Imagine if someone was sniffing, maybe they are not feeling well or could be emotional. This approach is changing the meaning of the sound. Even though the sound stays the same, your interpretation of it moves from being aggravating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate towards it.
