Christmas Can Be a Living Hell for Those with Misophonia.
A 23-year-old hopes for being with her loved ones over the holidays, but admits one of the only ways she'll endure is by using her noise-cancelling devices - notably for the holiday meal.
For her, the holidays is a notably tough time as the noises of people eating, sipping loudly and breathing heavily cause her extremely uncomfortable.
"I get this sensation of instant dread, my every muscle will just tense up and it seems as if I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to stop these sounds."
Lottie has experienced misophonia from a young age and for her that makes the Christmas time "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to particular auditory triggers, particularly those made by those around you.
It's surprisingly common in the UK. A study found almost one in five people are affected by it.
Typically it's noises connected to bodily functions that trigger a reaction, including things like crunching, breathing, and foot tapping.
'Anxiety Inducing'
The sufferer notes: "You encounter so many assorted problematic noises at the holidays and that can be anxiety inducing and make you want to avoid it.
"Those close to me are aware, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to upset others. It's like a internal conflict of enduring my distress to ensure the event goes smoothly."
So it's easy to understand why the traditionally happy season can quickly turn into a living nightmare for affected individuals.
Noises that may appear innocuous, like someone sipping a beverage, 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.
The student, a young adult, who has dealt with misophonia since aged 10, states the approach she intends to use is to listen to music to cope. Usually, she would often retreat in a quiet area to minimize distressing triggers.
She notes her sensitivity is worse around people she's most familiar with, so the holidays is always "challenging".
"There's an expectation to socialize with loved ones, and I want to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"I feel as if this intense irritation takes hold, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel anxious and immediately start crying and then the stress response will activate.
"It may seem as if I'm being difficult and dramatic, but it's hard to explain without firsthand experience."
Several Strategies to Manage
If it's an issue then there are various strategies you can attempt to manage the situation, according to specialists.
- Picture Something Else: Imagination is essential. Work on connecting the particular sound affecting you with something completely different. So for example, try to envision someone's slurping is just a sink draining water. By doing this is to help your brain learn that the sound affecting you poses no threat.
- Use Humor: Have a bit of fun and make the irritating noise into a challenge with the culprit. As an example, if someone is eating noisily attempt copying the noise. By mimicking, rather than feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an active participant. And the challenge should help redirect your focus and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Craft a Story: Another technique is to try to invent a reason about the reason someone making the noise is behaving that way. Imagine if someone was sniffing, it could be that they're not feeling well or are troubled. By doing this is changing the meaning of the sound. Although the sound stays the same, your interpretation of it shifts from being irritating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate about it.
