The Holiday Season Transforms Into a Terrifying Experience for Those with Misophonia.
One young woman is looking forward to spending time with her loved ones during the festive period, but says one of the only ways she'll manage to get through it is by relying on her earplugs - particularly at the main festive feast.
In her case, this time of year can be a particularly difficult time as the sounds of family members munching, sipping loudly and sniffling make her feel extremely uncomfortable.
"I experience this wave of instant dread, my whole body will just freeze and it as though I'm in peril, and I need to manage these triggers."
Lottie has experienced misophonia for several years and for her that makes the holiday period "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to particular auditory triggers, especially noises made by other people.
It is prevalent across the population. Researchers found a significant portion of people suffer from it.
Frequently it's sounds connected to bodily functions that cause distress, as well as examples such as crunching, heavy breathing, and pen clicking.
Triggering Stress
She explains: "I face so many various auditory triggers at the holidays and that can be anxiety inducing and make you dread it.
"My relatives are understanding, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to upset others. It's like a really big battle of sacrificing my own sanity to make sure others enjoy themselves."
So it's clear why the traditionally happy period can rapidly become a living nightmare for those with the condition.
Sounds that may seem harmless, like someone drinking champagne, opening presents, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can provoke a powerful reaction that can even lead to them skipping events entirely.
The student, a university student, who has struggled with misophonia from childhood, explains currently her plan is to listen to music to cope. On any other day, she would usually isolate herself in a separate space to minimize distressing triggers.
She explains 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 loved ones, and I desire to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"It's like this intense irritation takes hold, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel stressed and immediately start crying and then the stress response will kick in.
"It may seem as if I'm being difficult and dramatic, but it's difficult to convey if you haven't felt it."
A Few Techniques to Manage
For those affected then there are a few methods you can attempt to manage the situation, according to clinical psychologists.
- Visualise Something Else: Imagination is crucial. Work on connecting the specific noise affecting you with something completely different. As an illustration, try to picture someone's slurping is just a waterfall. The goal is to retrain your mind that the sound triggering you is neutral.
- Make it a Game: Introduce playfulness and turn the annoying sound into a competition with the culprit. For example, if someone is eating noisily attempt mimicking the sound. Through participation, instead of feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an active participant. And the challenge should help redirect your focus and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Develop a Narrative: One more method is to try to invent a reason about the reason someone creating the sound is behaving that way. For example if someone was making a nasal sound, perhaps they're not in good health or are troubled. By doing this is altering the perception of the sound. Even though the noise stays the same, your understanding of it moves from being aggravating, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.
