Christmas Transforms Into a Terrifying Experience for Misophonia Sufferers.
Lottie anticipates spending time with her loved ones during the festive period, but admits a primary method she'll cope is by wearing her hearing protection - notably for Christmas dinner.
For her, the holidays is a particularly difficult time as the noises of people eating, drinking noisily and nose-blowing cause her intense distress.
"There's this sensation of immediate anxiety, my whole body will just freeze and it feels like I'm in peril, and I need to stop these triggers."
She has lived with misophonia for several years and for her that renders the holiday period "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to specific noises, particularly those made by individuals.
The condition is widespread across the population. Researchers reported a significant portion of people are affected by it.
Typically it's noises connected to eating or drinking that trigger a reaction, including things like crunching, heavy breathing, and foot tapping.
'Anxiety Inducing'
Lottie says: "I face so many different triggering sounds at the holidays and that can be anxiety inducing and make you want to avoid it.
"My family are aware, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a really big battle of enduring my distress to make sure everyone else is happy."
So it's easy to understand why the supposedly joyous period can quickly turn into a source of agony for those with the condition.
Triggers that may be considered normal, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can provoke a visceral feeling that can even lead to them withdrawing from gatherings.
She, a 21-year-old student, who has experienced misophonia since aged 10, states the approach she intends to use is to listen to music to manage the meal. On any other day, she would frequently go in a separate space to escape problematic noises.
She notes her misophonia is worse around people she's closest to, so the holidays is always "challenging".
"There is pressure to spend time with family, and I wish to, but it's draining.
"The sensation is this uncontrollable anger washes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel panicked and burst into tears and then fight-or-flight will take over.
"To others it appears as if I'm being unreasonable and dramatic, but it's difficult to convey unless you've experienced it."
Three Ways to Cope
If you suffer then there are various strategies you can try to cope the situation, as suggested by experts.
- Picture an Alternative: Mental imagery is key. Work on connecting the triggering sound bothering you with something completely different. As an illustration, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a sink draining water. The goal is to help your brain learn that the sound affecting you poses no threat.
- Make it a Game: Use lightheartedness and make the irritating noise into a challenge with the culprit. As an example, if someone is eating noisily try mimicking the sound. By mimicking, instead of feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an engaged person. And the challenge should help distract your brain and make you a little less affected.
- Craft a Story: One more method is to try to fabricate an explanation about the reason someone creating the sound is behaving that way. Imagine if someone was sniffing, maybe they are not in good health or maybe they're upset. By doing this is altering the perception of the sound. Although the noise remains identical, your reaction of it moves from being aggravating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate towards it.
