Yuletide Often Proves to Be a Terrifying Experience for Misophonia Sufferers.
One young woman hopes for spending time with her loved ones over the holidays, but notes one of the only ways she'll endure is by using her earplugs - notably for the main festive feast.
For her, this time of year often feels like a notably tough season as the noises of family members munching, drinking noisily and breathing heavily make her feel profound anxiety.
"There's this wave of immediate anxiety, my whole body will just freeze and it as though I'm in peril, and I need to manage these triggers."
The individual has lived with this condition for several years and for her that causes the festive season "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to particular auditory triggers, especially noises made by other people.
The condition is widespread in the UK. Experts discovered almost one in five people suffer from it.
Typically it's sounds associated with bodily functions that cause distress, as well as things like chewing, breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
'Anxiety Inducing'
Lottie says: "There are so many different triggering sounds at the holidays and that can be stressful and make you fear it.
"My relatives are aware, but I'm very mindful 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 others enjoy themselves."
So it's obvious why the traditionally happy time of the year can quickly turn into a living nightmare for those with the condition.
Noises that may seem harmless, like someone drinking champagne, opening presents, or eating the holiday meal can cause a strong emotional response that can even result in them skipping events entirely.
The student, a 21-year-old student, who has experienced sound sensitivity since aged 10, says her strategy is to listen to music to manage the meal. On any other day, she would frequently go in a quiet area to avoid problematic noises.
She says her sensitivity is worse around people she's most comfortable with, so the holidays is always "challenging".
"There is pressure to be around family, and I desire 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 stressed and immediately start crying and then panic will activate.
"To others it appears as if I'm being difficult and overreacting, but it's difficult to convey without firsthand experience."
A Few Techniques to Manage
For those affected then there are various strategies you can try to cope the situation, according to specialists.
- Visualise an Alternative: Imagination is crucial. Work on connecting the particular sound bothering you with an unrelated image. As an illustration, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. The goal is to teach your brain that the sound affecting you poses no threat.
- Make it a Game: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a challenge involving the source. For example, if someone is crunching loudly try copying the noise. By joining in, rather than feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an engaged person. And the game aspect should help distract your brain and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Develop a Narrative: A further strategy is to try to create a little story about the reason someone creating the sound is having to make that sound. Imagine if someone was sniffing, maybe they are not at their best or are troubled. The idea is changing the meaning of the sound. While the sound doesn't change, your interpretation of it shifts from being irritating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate towards it.
