The Holiday Season Often Proves to Be a Nightmare for Those with Misophonia.
One young woman hopes for being with her relatives over the holidays, but says a key strategy she'll manage to get through it is by wearing her noise-cancelling devices - notably for the main festive feast.
For her, this time of year is a notably tough period as the sounds of family members munching, drinking noisily and nose-blowing cause her intense distress.
"There's this feeling 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."
Lottie has suffered from this condition from a young age and for her that causes the Christmas time "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to particular auditory triggers, especially noises produced by individuals.
It is prevalent in the UK. Experts discovered nearly 20% people suffer from it.
Often it's sounds linked to bodily functions that lead to discomfort, including things like chewing, breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
A Source of Dread
Lottie says: "You encounter so many assorted problematic noises at the holidays and that can be daunting and make you fear it.
"My relatives are understanding, but I'm very aware that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a internal conflict of managing my symptoms to guarantee the event goes smoothly."
So it's easy to understand why the traditionally happy season can transform into a living nightmare for affected individuals.
Noises that may appear innocuous, like someone drinking champagne, unwrapping gifts, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can provoke a strong emotional response that can even lead to them avoiding social settings altogether.
She, a 21-year-old student, who has dealt with sound sensitivity for over a decade, states the approach she intends to use is to use headphones to get through dinner. On any other day, she would usually isolate herself in a different room to avoid distressing triggers.
She explains her condition is worse around people she's closest to, so the holidays is always "difficult".
"There is pressure to be around family, and I want to, but it's draining.
"It's like this uncontrollable anger takes hold, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel panicked and begin to weep and then panic will kick in.
"It may seem as if I'm being unreasonable and melodramatic, but it's tough to describe if you haven't felt it."
A Few Techniques to Manage
If it's an issue then there are a few methods you can try to cope the situation, based on advice from experts.
- Picture an Alternative: Imagination is crucial. Work on connecting the specific noise bothering you with a neutral concept. For instance, try to envision someone's slurping is just a gentle stream. By doing this is to help your brain learn that the sound affecting you is neutral.
- Try a Competition: Have a bit of fun and turn the annoying sound into a competition involving the source. As an example, if someone is crunching loudly attempt mimicking the sound. Through participation, rather than feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an active participant. And the competition element should help shift your attention and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Craft a Story: One more method is to try to create a little story about why the person creating the sound is doing it. So if someone was making a nasal sound, perhaps they're not at their best or are troubled. By doing this is re-framing the context of the sound. Even though the noise remains identical, your reaction of it shifts from being aggravating, to feeling a little more neutral towards it.
