Christmas Can Be a Terrifying Experience for Misophonia Sufferers.
A 23-year-old is looking forward to spending time with her loved ones during the festive period, but says one of the only ways she'll endure is by wearing her earplugs - particularly at the main festive feast.
For the 23-year-old, Christmas can be a notably tough period as the auditory triggers of family members munching, slurping and sniffling cause her profound anxiety.
"I get this wave of immediate anxiety, my entire being will just tighten and it as though I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to stop these noises."
Lottie has suffered from this condition for several years and for her that renders the Christmas time "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to particular auditory triggers, notably sounds made by individuals.
It's surprisingly common in the UK. Experts reported almost one in five people experience it.
Frequently it's sounds associated with bodily functions that trigger a reaction, including things like chewing, heavy breathing, and pen clicking.
A Source of Dread
She explains: "I face so many different triggering sounds at Christmas and that can be anxiety inducing and make you dread it.
"Those close to me are supportive, but I'm very aware that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a really big battle of enduring my distress to guarantee the event goes smoothly."
So it's easy to understand why the supposedly joyous period can quickly turn into a stressful ordeal for affected individuals.
Sounds that may appear innocuous, like someone drinking champagne, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or eating the holiday meal can trigger a strong emotional response that can even lead to them withdrawing from gatherings.
Jenna, a 21-year-old student, who has dealt with misophonia since aged 10, says her strategy is to use headphones to manage the meal. On any other day, she would frequently go in a separate space to minimize problematic noises.
She says her misophonia is more intense around people she's most familiar with, so the holidays is always "challenging".
"There is pressure to socialize with loved ones, and I wish to, but it's draining.
"The sensation is this uncontrollable anger washes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel anxious and burst into tears and then the stress response will activate.
"It can come across as if I'm being unreasonable and dramatic, but it's difficult to convey without firsthand experience."
Three Ways to Manage
For those affected then there are various strategies you can attempt to manage the situation, as suggested by experts.
- Imagine a Different Scenario: Imagination is crucial. Work on connecting the specific noise causing distress with an unrelated image. So for example, try to picture someone's noisy drinking is just a sink draining water. This technique is to teach your brain that the sound affecting you isn't harmful.
- Try a Competition: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a challenge with the culprit. For instance, if someone is eating noisily attempt mimicking the sound. Through participation, instead of feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an engaged person. And the competition element should help distract your brain and make you a little less affected.
- Craft a Story: Another technique is to try to invent a reason about why the person making the noise is behaving that way. So if someone was sniffing, it could be that they're not in good health or are troubled. This approach is changing the meaning of the sound. While the noise remains identical, your understanding of it changes from being aggravating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate about it.
