Christmas Can Be a Living Hell for Those with Misophonia.
Lottie hopes for spending time with her family this Christmas, but notes a primary method she'll cope is by wearing her hearing protection - especially during the main festive feast.
For the 23-year-old, Christmas is a particularly difficult season as the auditory triggers of family members munching, slurping and sniffling make her feel extremely uncomfortable.
"I get this sensation of instant dread, my every muscle will just tense up and it as though I'm in danger, and I need to manage these noises."
The individual has suffered from misophonia for several years and for her that makes the festive season "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to particular auditory triggers, particularly those produced by individuals.
The condition is widespread in the UK. Experts found almost one in five people experience it.
Typically it's sounds connected to bodily functions that trigger a reaction, along with things like crunching, breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
'Anxiety Inducing'
The sufferer notes: "You encounter so many different triggering sounds at Christmas and that can be stressful and make you fear it.
"My relatives are supportive, but I'm very aware that I don't want to upset others. It's like a constant struggle of managing my symptoms to guarantee the event goes smoothly."
So it's clear why the traditionally happy time of the year can rapidly become a source of agony for sufferers.
Triggers that may be considered normal, like someone drinking champagne, opening presents, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can provoke a powerful reaction that can even cause them skipping events entirely.
The student, a 21-year-old student, who has experienced sound sensitivity from childhood, explains the approach she intends to use is to listen to music to get through dinner. On any other day, she would usually isolate herself in a separate space to minimize distressing triggers.
She notes her sensitivity is more pronounced around people she's most comfortable with, so Christmas is always "challenging".
"There is pressure to socialize with loved ones, and I wish to, but it's draining.
"The sensation is this intense irritation takes hold, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel panicked and immediately start crying and then panic will kick in.
"To others it appears as if I'm being difficult and overreacting, but it's hard to explain unless you've experienced it."
A Few Techniques to Cope
If you suffer then there are various strategies you can use to handle the situation, according to experts.
- Picture Something Else: Imagination is crucial. Try to associate the specific noise affecting you with an unrelated image. As an illustration, try to envision someone's slurping is just a sink draining water. The goal is to retrain your mind that the sound affecting you is neutral.
- Use Humor: Have a bit of fun and turn the annoying sound into a game with the culprit. As an example, if someone is eating noisily try mimicking the sound. By joining in, instead of feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an engaged person. And the game aspect should help distract your brain and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Create a Scenario: One more method is to try to create a little story about why the person making the noise is behaving that way. Imagine if someone was sniffing, perhaps they're not in good health or maybe they're upset. By doing this is re-framing the context of the sound. While the sound doesn't change, your understanding of it shifts from being irritating, to feeling a little more neutral about it.
