The Holiday Season Transforms Into a Nightmare for Misophonia Sufferers.
One young woman is looking forward to being with her family over the holidays, but says one of the only ways she'll endure is by relying on her earplugs - especially during the main festive feast.
For her, Christmas is a particularly difficult period as the sounds of people eating, sipping loudly and sniffling make her feel extremely uncomfortable.
"I experience this feeling of sudden panic, my entire being will just tighten and it feels like I'm in peril, and I need to somehow control these sounds."
Lottie has lived with sound sensitivity since she was 16 and for her that renders the holiday period "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to particular auditory triggers, particularly those produced by other people.
The condition is widespread in the UK. Experts discovered almost one in five people suffer from it.
Typically it's noises connected to eating or drinking that trigger a reaction, along with things like crunching, breathing, and pen clicking.
Triggering Stress
Lottie says: "There are so many different triggering sounds at Christmas and that can be daunting and make you fear it.
"My family are understanding, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a constant struggle of enduring my distress to ensure others enjoy themselves."
So it's easy to understand why the supposedly joyous period can quickly turn into a source of agony for sufferers.
Noises that may seem harmless, like someone drinking champagne, opening presents, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can provoke a visceral feeling that can even cause them skipping events entirely.
Jenna, a 21-year-old student, who has dealt with misophonia for over a decade, says the approach she intends to use is to put her earphones in to get through dinner. On any other day, she would often retreat in a quiet area to avoid triggering sounds.
She explains her condition is worse around people she's closest to, so the holidays is always "challenging".
"There is pressure to be around loved ones, and I wish to, but it's draining.
"The sensation is this sudden rage washes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel anxious and begin to weep and then fight-or-flight will take over.
"To others it appears as if I'm being unreasonable and melodramatic, but it's hard to explain unless you've experienced it."
Several Strategies to Cope
If you suffer then there are a few methods you can attempt to manage the situation, as suggested by specialists.
- Visualise a Different Scenario: Imagination is key. Work on connecting the triggering sound affecting you with something completely different. For instance, try to picture someone's noisy drinking is just a waterfall. By doing this is to retrain your mind that the sound affecting you isn't harmful.
- Try a Competition: Have a bit of fun and turn the annoying sound into a game with the culprit. As an example, if someone is eating noisily have a go at mimicking the sound. By mimicking, rather than feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an active participant. And the competition element should help shift your attention and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Develop a Narrative: One more method is to try to create a little story about the reason someone making the noise is having to make that sound. For example if someone was making a nasal sound, perhaps they're not at their best or are troubled. By doing this is altering the perception of the sound. Even though the sound remains identical, your interpretation of it moves from being irritating, to feeling a bit more accepting towards it.
