Christmas Often Proves to Be a Terrifying Experience for Those with Misophonia.
Lottie anticipates seeing her relatives during the festive period, but admits one of the only ways she'll cope is by relying on her noise-cancelling devices - particularly at the holiday meal.
For her, Christmas often feels like a particularly difficult season as the noises of family members munching, slurping and sniffling make her feel extremely uncomfortable.
"I get this feeling of instant dread, my entire being will just tighten and it feels like I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to manage these triggers."
Lottie has experienced sound sensitivity since she was 16 and for her that renders the Christmas time "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to particular auditory triggers, notably sounds coming from other people.
The condition is widespread in the UK. Researchers reported nearly 20% people experience it.
Frequently it's sounds connected to eating or drinking that lead to discomfort, as well as things like chewing, breathing, and pen clicking.
A Source of Dread
She explains: "There are so many different triggering sounds at the holidays and that can be stressful and make you want to avoid it.
"My family are aware, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a constant struggle of sacrificing my own sanity to make sure everyone else is happy."
So it's easy to understand why the supposedly joyous time of the year can rapidly become a living nightmare for sufferers.
Sounds that may be considered normal, like someone sipping a beverage, opening presents, or enjoying festive food can provoke a strong emotional response that can even cause them avoiding social settings altogether.
The student, a 21-year-old student, who has dealt with misophonia since aged 10, says her strategy is to use headphones to get through dinner. On any other day, she would often retreat in a quiet area to escape problematic noises.
She says her misophonia is more pronounced around people she's most comfortable with, so the holidays is always "difficult".
"There is pressure to socialize with family, and I want to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"It's like this uncontrollable anger washes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel anxious and burst into tears and then panic will kick in.
"It may seem as if I'm being difficult and overreacting, but it's hard to explain if you haven't felt it."
Three Ways to Manage
For those affected then there are a few methods you can use to handle the situation, according to specialists.
- Picture a Different Scenario: Creative thinking is key. Try to associate the specific noise bothering you with an unrelated image. For instance, try to imagine someone's slurping is just a gentle stream. The goal is to teach your brain that the sound triggering you is neutral.
- Use Humor: Use lightheartedness and make the irritating noise into a challenge with the person. For example, if someone is crunching loudly try copying the noise. By mimicking, rather than feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an willing part. And the game aspect should help distract your brain and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Develop a Narrative: One more method is to try to fabricate an explanation about the reason someone creating the sound is behaving that way. For example if someone was making a nasal sound, maybe they are not feeling well or maybe they're upset. This approach is changing the meaning of the sound. Although the noise remains identical, your reaction of it changes from being annoying, to feeling a little more neutral about it.
