Yuletide Often Proves to Be a Terrifying Experience for Misophonia Sufferers.
Lottie hopes for seeing her family this Christmas, but says a key strategy she'll endure is by wearing her hearing protection - notably for the holiday meal.
For her, the holidays is a notably tough time as the auditory triggers of other people chewing, drinking noisily and breathing heavily trigger intense distress.
"I get this sensation of sudden panic, my every muscle will just tighten and it seems as if I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to manage these sounds."
The individual has experienced misophonia for several years and for her that renders the Christmas time "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to particular auditory triggers, particularly those coming from other people.
The condition is widespread in the UK. Experts reported almost one in five people experience it.
Typically it's noises connected to bodily functions that lead to discomfort, including examples such as crunching, heavy breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
Triggering Stress
The sufferer notes: "You encounter so many various auditory triggers at the holidays and that can be daunting and make you want to avoid it.
"Those close to me are understanding, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a really big battle of sacrificing my own sanity to ensure everyone else is happy."
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, opening presents, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can cause a powerful reaction that can even lead to them avoiding social settings altogether.
The student, a 21-year-old student, who has struggled with sound sensitivity from childhood, says her strategy is to put her earphones in to manage the meal. Typically, she would usually isolate herself in a separate space to escape problematic noises.
She notes her sensitivity is more pronounced around people she's closest to, so the holidays is always "difficult".
"There's an expectation to be around family, and I want to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"I feel as if this uncontrollable anger washes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel anxious and begin to weep and then fight-or-flight will kick in.
"It can come across as if I'm being unreasonable and overreacting, but it's hard to explain unless you've experienced it."
Three Ways to Handle It
If you suffer then there are various strategies you can use to handle the situation, as suggested by specialists.
- Visualise Something Else: Mental imagery is essential. Attempt to link the particular sound causing distress with a neutral concept. For instance, try to picture someone's slurping is just a waterfall. By doing this is to teach your brain that the sound affecting you isn't harmful.
- Use Humor: Use lightheartedness and make the irritating noise into a game with the person. For instance, if someone is eating noisily attempt joining in. By joining in, instead of feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an engaged person. And the competition element 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 making the noise is behaving that way. So if someone was sniffing, perhaps they're not feeling well or could be emotional. This approach is re-framing the context of the sound. Although the noise remains identical, your understanding of it moves from being aggravating, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.
