Christmas Transforms Into a Terrifying Experience for Those with Misophonia.
Lottie hopes for being with her relatives during the festive period, but admits a primary method she'll endure is by wearing her noise-cancelling devices - especially during Christmas dinner.
For the 23-year-old, Christmas is a especially challenging period as the sounds of family members munching, sipping loudly and sniffling make her feel profound anxiety.
"There's this sensation of instant dread, my every muscle will just tense up and it feels like I'm in peril, and I need to somehow control these sounds."
She has lived with misophonia for several years and for her that makes the festive season "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to particular auditory triggers, particularly those made by other people.
The condition is widespread across the population. A study reported nearly 20% people are affected by it.
Typically it's noises associated with eating or drinking that lead to discomfort, including examples such as crunching, breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
A Source of Dread
Lottie says: "There are so many different triggering sounds at Christmas and that can be anxiety inducing and make you want to avoid it.
"My relatives are supportive, but I'm very aware that I don't want to upset others. It's like a constant struggle of managing my symptoms to ensure others enjoy themselves."
So it's clear why the traditionally happy time of the year can rapidly become a source of agony for sufferers.
Noises that may appear innocuous, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or enjoying festive food can cause a visceral feeling that can even cause them withdrawing from gatherings.
Jenna, a young adult, who has struggled with misophonia for over a decade, says her strategy is to put her earphones in to get through dinner. On any other day, she would usually isolate herself in a separate space to minimize problematic noises.
She notes her sensitivity is worse around people she's closest to, so Christmas is always "hard".
"People assume you to spend time with family, and I want to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"The sensation is this uncontrollable anger comes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel panicked and immediately start crying and then panic will take over.
"To others it appears as if I'm being unreasonable and overreacting, but it's hard to explain without firsthand experience."
Three Ways to Handle It
If it's an issue then there are a few methods you can try to cope the situation, as suggested by specialists.
- Picture an Alternative: Creative thinking is crucial. Work on connecting the particular sound causing distress with an unrelated image. So for example, try to envision someone's slurping is just a gentle stream. This technique is to teach your brain that the sound triggering you is neutral.
- Try a Competition: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a competition with the culprit. As an example, if someone is eating noisily try joining in. By mimicking, rather than feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an active participant. And the game aspect should help shift your attention and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Craft a Story: Another technique is to try to invent a reason about why the person making the noise is having to make that sound. Imagine if someone was sniffing, perhaps they're not at their best or could be emotional. By doing this is altering the perception of the sound. Even though the sound remains identical, your reaction of it changes from being annoying, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.