Yuletide Can Be a Nightmare for Those with Misophonia.
Lottie hopes for spending time with her loved ones during the festive period, but admits one of the only ways she'll manage to get through it is by relying on her hearing protection - particularly at the main festive feast.
For her, Christmas is a especially challenging period as the sounds of family members munching, drinking noisily and sniffling trigger intense distress.
"There's this sensation of immediate anxiety, my every muscle will just freeze and it seems as if I'm in danger, and I need to stop these noises."
She has suffered from sound sensitivity since she was 16 and for her that makes the festive season "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to certain sounds, notably sounds coming from individuals.
It's surprisingly common amongst adults. A study reported nearly 20% people experience it.
Frequently it's sounds associated with bodily functions that lead to discomfort, along with examples such as crunching, breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
Triggering Stress
She explains: "I face so many various auditory triggers at Christmas and that can be anxiety inducing and make you dread it.
"My relatives are understanding, but I'm very aware that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a really big battle of enduring my distress to guarantee everyone else is happy."
So it's clear why the supposedly joyous time of the year can rapidly become a stressful ordeal for sufferers.
Noises that may seem harmless, like someone drinking champagne, opening presents, or enjoying festive food can provoke a strong emotional response that can even lead to them skipping events entirely.
The student, a young adult, who has dealt with misophonia for over a decade, states her strategy is to put her earphones in to cope. Typically, she would often retreat in a quiet area to escape triggering sounds.
She notes her sensitivity is more pronounced around people she's most comfortable with, so Christmas is always "difficult".
"There is pressure to be around loved ones, and I desire to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"I feel as if this uncontrollable anger comes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel stressed and immediately start crying and then the stress response will take over.
"It may seem as if I'm being difficult and overreacting, but it's difficult to convey unless you've experienced it."
A Few Techniques to Cope
For those affected then there are various strategies you can use to handle the situation, according to clinical psychologists.
- Imagine a Different Scenario: Imagination is crucial. Attempt to link the specific noise causing distress with something completely different. As an illustration, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a waterfall. This technique is to teach your brain that the sound affecting you is neutral.
- Try a Competition: Introduce playfulness and turn the annoying sound into a competition involving the source. As an example, if someone is crunching loudly have a go at mimicking the sound. By joining in, instead of feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an willing part. And the game aspect should help distract your brain and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Develop a Narrative: A further strategy is to try to invent a reason about why the person creating the sound is having to make that sound. So if someone was sniffing, perhaps they're not in good health or maybe they're upset. The idea is changing the meaning of the sound. While the noise remains identical, your understanding of it shifts from being annoying, to feeling a bit more accepting towards it.
