Yuletide Can Be a Living Hell for Misophonia Sufferers.
A 23-year-old is looking forward to being with her loved ones during the festive period, but says a primary method she'll endure is by wearing her earplugs - notably for the holiday meal.
For the 23-year-old, the holidays is a especially challenging season as the auditory triggers of people eating, drinking noisily and nose-blowing cause her extremely uncomfortable.
"There's this feeling of immediate anxiety, my whole body will just tense up and it feels like I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to somehow control these sounds."
She has lived with this condition since she was 16 and for her that makes the Christmas time "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to certain sounds, especially noises produced by those around you.
It's surprisingly common across the population. Experts reported a significant portion of people suffer from it.
Often it's sounds connected to eating or drinking that lead to discomfort, including examples such as crunching, heavy breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
Triggering Stress
Lottie says: "There are so many different triggering sounds at the holidays and that can be anxiety inducing and make you want to avoid it.
"Those close to me are understanding, but I'm very aware that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a really big battle of enduring my distress to guarantee the event goes smoothly."
So it's easy to understand why the traditionally happy time of the year can transform into a living nightmare for those with the condition.
Sounds that may be considered normal, like someone drinking champagne, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or enjoying festive food can cause a strong emotional response that can even lead to them withdrawing from gatherings.
The student, a 21-year-old student, who has struggled with sound sensitivity from childhood, says her strategy is to use headphones to get through dinner. Typically, she would frequently go in a separate space to avoid problematic noises.
She says her sensitivity is worse around people she's most familiar with, so Christmas is always "difficult".
"There is pressure to socialize with family, and I want to, but it's draining.
"The sensation is this sudden rage takes hold, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel stressed and immediately start crying and then the stress response will take over.
"To others it appears as if I'm being unreasonable and overreacting, but it's tough to describe unless you've experienced it."
Three Ways to Manage
For those affected then there are a few methods you can attempt to manage the situation, according to experts.
- Visualise a Different Scenario: Creative thinking is crucial. Attempt to link the triggering sound bothering you with an unrelated image. For instance, try to envision someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. The goal is to teach your brain that the sound triggering you isn't harmful.
- Try a Competition: Have a bit of fun and make the irritating noise into a game involving the source. For instance, if someone is eating noisily attempt mimicking the sound. By mimicking, instead of feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an willing part. And the competition element should help shift your attention and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Develop a Narrative: One more method is to try to create a little story about the reason someone making the noise is behaving that way. Imagine if someone was making a nasal sound, it could be that they're not feeling well or could be emotional. The idea is altering the perception of the sound. Even though the sound stays the same, your interpretation of it shifts from being irritating, to feeling a little more neutral about it.
