Yuletide Can Be a Terrifying Experience for Misophonia Sufferers.
Lottie anticipates being with her loved ones this Christmas, but admits one of the only ways she'll endure is by wearing her earplugs - particularly at the main festive feast.
In her case, this time of year often feels like a notably tough season as the sounds of people eating, sipping loudly and breathing heavily cause her profound anxiety.
"I get this feeling of immediate anxiety, my whole body will just tense up and it feels like I'm in peril, and I need to somehow control these triggers."
Lottie has experienced this condition for several years and for her that causes the holiday period "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to particular auditory triggers, particularly those made by individuals.
The condition is widespread in the UK. A study found nearly 20% people experience it.
Typically it's noises associated with mouth, throat or facial movements that trigger a reaction, as well as examples such as crunching, breathing, and foot tapping.
Triggering Stress
The sufferer notes: "You encounter so many different triggering sounds at the holidays and that can be anxiety inducing and make you want to avoid it.
"Those close to me are aware, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to upset others. It's like a internal conflict of managing my symptoms to guarantee others enjoy themselves."
So it's obvious why the most wonderful time of the year can quickly turn into a stressful ordeal for affected individuals.
Triggers that may appear innocuous, like someone drinking champagne, opening presents, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can provoke a visceral feeling that can even result in them skipping events entirely.
She, a young adult, who has struggled with sound sensitivity for over a decade, explains the approach she intends to use is to put her earphones in to cope. On any other day, she would often retreat in a different room to minimize distressing triggers.
She says her condition is more pronounced around people she's most familiar with, so the holidays is always "hard".
"There's an expectation to socialize with family, and I wish to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"I feel as if this uncontrollable anger comes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel stressed and burst into tears and then panic will kick in.
"To others it appears as if I'm being oversensitive and overreacting, but it's difficult to convey without firsthand experience."
Several Strategies to Manage
If it's an issue then there are various strategies you can attempt to manage the situation, based on advice from experts.
- Visualise Something Else: Mental imagery is crucial. Attempt to link the particular sound causing distress with a neutral concept. As an illustration, try to picture someone's noisy drinking is just a waterfall. By doing this is to retrain your mind that the sound triggering you isn't harmful.
- Try a Competition: Use lightheartedness and turn the annoying sound into a game with the culprit. For example, if someone is crunching loudly attempt mimicking the sound. By joining in, rather than feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an engaged person. And the competition element should help redirect your focus and make you slightly more tolerant.
- 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 sniffing, it could be that they're not at their best or maybe they're upset. The idea is altering the perception of the sound. Although the noise stays the same, your reaction of it changes from being irritating, to feeling a bit more accepting towards it.
