Yuletide Can Be a Nightmare for Those with Misophonia.
A 23-year-old anticipates spending time with her relatives during the festive period, but notes a primary method she'll cope is by relying on her hearing protection - particularly at the holiday meal.
In her case, the holidays is a notably tough season as the sounds of family members munching, drinking noisily and sniffling cause her intense distress.
"I get this sensation of instant dread, my entire being will just freeze and it seems as if I'm in danger, and I need to manage these triggers."
She has suffered from misophonia since she was 16 and for her that renders the Christmas time "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to specific noises, notably sounds coming from those around you.
It is prevalent in the UK. Experts reported nearly 20% people are affected by it.
Frequently it's noises connected to bodily functions that lead to discomfort, along with examples such as chewing, heavy breathing, and foot tapping.
Triggering Stress
Lottie says: "There are so many assorted problematic noises at Christmas and that can be stressful and make you fear it.
"My relatives are supportive, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a internal conflict of sacrificing my own sanity to make sure the event goes smoothly."
So it's easy to understand why the supposedly joyous period can rapidly become a stressful ordeal for affected individuals.
Noises 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 trigger a powerful reaction that can even cause them withdrawing from gatherings.
She, a young adult, who has dealt with sound sensitivity from childhood, states her strategy is to use headphones to manage the meal. On any other day, she would frequently go in a separate space to avoid distressing triggers.
She says her misophonia is worse around people she's closest to, so Christmas is always "difficult".
"There is pressure to spend time with loved ones, and I wish to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"The sensation is this intense irritation takes hold, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel stressed and burst into tears and then panic will activate.
"To others it appears as if I'm being difficult and melodramatic, but it's difficult to convey unless you've experienced it."
Several Strategies to Handle It
For those affected then there are some different techniques you can use to handle the situation, as suggested by experts.
- Imagine an Alternative: Imagination is crucial. Attempt to link the particular sound causing distress with an unrelated image. For instance, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. This technique is to teach your brain that the sound affecting you is neutral.
- Make it a Game: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a challenge with the person. As an example, if someone is crunching loudly try mimicking the sound. By mimicking, instead of feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an active participant. And the competition element should help distract your brain and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Craft a Story: One more method is to try to create a little story about why the person creating the sound is doing it. For example if someone was making a nasal sound, maybe they are not at their best or maybe they're upset. This approach is re-framing the context of the sound. Even though the sound remains identical, your reaction of it changes from being aggravating, to feeling a little more neutral about it.
