Christmas Often Proves to Be a Nightmare for Misophonia Sufferers.
Lottie is looking forward to spending time with her relatives this Christmas, but says a primary method she'll manage to get through it is by wearing her earplugs - particularly at Christmas dinner.
For the 23-year-old, the holidays is a especially challenging season as the noises of other people chewing, slurping and nose-blowing cause her intense distress.
"There's this wave of immediate anxiety, my entire being will just freeze and it feels like I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to somehow control these triggers."
The individual has suffered from misophonia for several years and for her that makes the Christmas time "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to certain sounds, particularly those made by other people.
It's surprisingly common across the population. Researchers reported nearly 20% people are affected by it.
Typically it's noises linked to bodily functions that lead to discomfort, along with things like crunching, breathing, and foot tapping.
A Source of Dread
She explains: "I face so many assorted problematic noises at the holidays and that can be stressful 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 ensure others enjoy themselves."
So it's clear why the supposedly joyous time of the year can quickly turn into a living nightmare for those with the condition.
Sounds that may appear innocuous, like someone sipping a beverage, opening presents, or eating the holiday meal can provoke a powerful reaction that can even lead to them skipping events entirely.
The student, a young adult, who has experienced misophonia since aged 10, explains her strategy is to use headphones to get through dinner. Typically, she would frequently go in a quiet area to minimize distressing triggers.
She notes her condition is more pronounced around people she's most familiar with, so the holidays is always "challenging".
"There's an expectation to be around loved ones, and I desire to, but it's draining.
"It's like this uncontrollable anger takes hold, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel panicked and burst into tears and then panic will activate.
"To others it appears as if I'm being oversensitive and overreacting, but it's tough to describe unless you've experienced it."
A Few Techniques to Handle It
If it's an issue then there are a few methods you can attempt to manage the situation, based on advice from clinical psychologists.
- Imagine a Different Scenario: Imagination is key. Work on connecting the particular sound affecting you with an unrelated image. As an illustration, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a sink draining water. The goal is to teach your brain that the sound triggering you is neutral.
- Try a Competition: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a challenge with the person. As an example, if someone is crunching loudly try copying the noise. By joining in, instead of feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an active participant. And the challenge should help distract your brain and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Develop a Narrative: A further strategy is to try to fabricate an explanation about the reason someone creating the sound is behaving that way. Imagine if someone was making a nasal sound, perhaps they're not at their best or maybe they're upset. This approach is re-framing the context of the sound. Even though the noise doesn't change, your reaction of it shifts from being aggravating, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.
