Yuletide Can Be a Living Hell for Those with Misophonia.
Lottie is looking forward to spending time with her relatives during the festive period, but says one of the only ways she'll cope is by relying on her earplugs - especially during Christmas dinner.
For her, the holidays can be a particularly difficult time as the auditory triggers of people eating, slurping and nose-blowing cause her intense distress.
"I experience this wave of sudden panic, my whole body will just tighten and it seems as if I'm in danger, and I need to somehow control these sounds."
Lottie has lived with sound sensitivity for several years and for her that renders the holiday period "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to particular auditory triggers, notably sounds made by individuals.
It is prevalent in the UK. Experts discovered a significant portion of people suffer from it.
Often it's noises associated with eating or drinking that cause distress, including things like chewing, heavy breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
A Source of Dread
Lottie says: "There are so many different triggering sounds at the holidays and that can be daunting and make you want to avoid it.
"My family are supportive, 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 supposedly joyous season can quickly turn into a living nightmare for those with the condition.
Triggers that may be considered normal, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, unwrapping gifts, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can trigger a strong emotional response that can even lead to them avoiding social settings altogether.
Jenna, a university student, who has struggled with misophonia from childhood, says currently her plan is to put her earphones in to get through dinner. On any other day, she would frequently go in a separate space to avoid distressing triggers.
She notes her misophonia is more pronounced around people she's closest to, so Christmas is always "challenging".
"People assume you to be around family, and I desire to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"It's like this sudden rage takes hold, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel anxious and begin to weep and then panic will activate.
"To others it appears as if I'm being unreasonable and overreacting, but it's hard to explain without firsthand experience."
Several Strategies to Manage
If you suffer then there are various strategies you can try to cope the situation, as suggested by specialists.
- Visualise Something Else: Imagination is crucial. Work on connecting the triggering sound bothering you with an unrelated image. As an illustration, try to picture someone's noisy drinking is just a sink draining water. This technique is to retrain your mind that the sound affecting you poses no threat.
- Use Humor: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a game with the culprit. As an example, if someone is eating noisily attempt copying the noise. Through participation, instead of feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an engaged person. And the game aspect should help shift your attention and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Create a Scenario: Another technique is to try to create a little story about why the person making the noise is having to make that sound. Imagine if someone was sniffing, perhaps they're not in good health or could be emotional. This approach is changing the meaning of the sound. While the sound remains identical, your understanding of it moves from being annoying, to feeling a little more neutral towards it.