The Holiday Season Often Proves to Be a Terrifying Experience for Those with Misophonia.
Lottie is looking forward to seeing her family this Christmas, but says a primary method she'll manage to get through it is by wearing her earplugs - especially during the holiday meal.
For her, the holidays can be a especially challenging time as the sounds of other people chewing, slurping and nose-blowing cause her intense distress.
"I experience this sensation of sudden panic, my entire being will just freeze and it feels like I'm in peril, and I need to manage these triggers."
The individual has suffered from sound sensitivity for several years and for her that renders the holiday period "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to specific noises, notably sounds produced by individuals.
It's surprisingly common across the population. A study reported a significant portion of people suffer from it.
Frequently it's sounds connected to mouth, throat or facial movements that lead to discomfort, along with examples such as crunching, breathing, and pen clicking.
'Anxiety Inducing'
The sufferer notes: "You encounter so many different triggering sounds at the holidays and that can be anxiety inducing and make you fear it.
"My relatives are aware, but I'm very aware that I don't want to upset others. It's like a internal conflict of managing my symptoms to ensure everyone else is happy."
So it's easy to understand why the supposedly joyous season can quickly turn into a source of agony for affected individuals.
Sounds that may be considered normal, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, opening presents, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can cause a powerful reaction that can even cause them skipping events entirely.
Jenna, a young adult, who has struggled with sound sensitivity since aged 10, explains 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 says her sensitivity is more pronounced around people she's most familiar with, so Christmas is always "challenging".
"There's an expectation to spend time with family, and I wish to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"It's like this uncontrollable anger comes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel panicked and burst into tears and then panic will kick in.
"To others it appears as if I'm being difficult and dramatic, but it's tough to describe unless you've experienced it."
Several Strategies to Handle It
If you suffer then there are various strategies you can attempt to manage the situation, based on advice from clinical psychologists.
- Visualise Something Else: Mental imagery is essential. Try to associate the triggering sound affecting you with something completely different. As an illustration, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. The goal is to help your brain learn that the sound triggering you isn't harmful.
- Make it a Game: Have a bit of fun and make the irritating noise into a competition involving the source. For instance, if someone is eating noisily have a go at copying the noise. By mimicking, rather than feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an active participant. And the challenge should help distract your brain and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Craft a Story: One more method is to try to invent a reason about why the person creating the sound is behaving that way. So if someone was sniffing, perhaps they're not in good health or are troubled. By doing this is altering the perception of the sound. While the noise stays the same, your understanding of it shifts from being annoying, to feeling a little more neutral about it.
