Yuletide Can Be a Living Hell for Those with Misophonia.
One young woman is looking forward to seeing her family during the festive period, but says a key strategy she'll endure is by wearing her earplugs - notably for Christmas dinner.
For her, this time of year is a especially challenging time as the sounds of people eating, sipping loudly and breathing heavily cause her extremely uncomfortable.
"I get this feeling of instant dread, my entire being will just tighten and it as though I'm in danger, and I need to stop these sounds."
Lottie has suffered from sound sensitivity from a young age and for her that renders the Christmas time "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to particular auditory triggers, particularly those made by other people.
The condition is widespread across the population. A study reported nearly 20% people experience it.
Frequently it's noises linked to bodily functions that trigger a reaction, as well as examples such as crunching, breathing, and foot tapping.
Triggering Stress
The sufferer notes: "You encounter so many various auditory triggers at Christmas and that can be anxiety inducing and make you dread it.
"Those close to me are aware, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to upset others. It's like a constant struggle of managing my symptoms to ensure everyone else is happy."
So it's obvious why the supposedly joyous period can quickly turn into a stressful ordeal for those with the condition.
Noises that may seem harmless, like someone drinking champagne, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or eating the holiday meal can trigger a powerful reaction that can even cause them avoiding social settings altogether.
Jenna, a 21-year-old student, who has experienced sound sensitivity for over a decade, says the approach she intends to use is to use headphones to manage the meal. Typically, she would often retreat in a separate space to avoid triggering sounds.
She says her condition is worse around people she's most comfortable with, so the holidays is always "difficult".
"There's an expectation to spend time with loved ones, and I wish to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"I feel as if this intense irritation comes 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 unreasonable and melodramatic, but it's difficult to convey if you haven't felt it."
Several Strategies to Manage
If you suffer then there are various strategies you can attempt to manage the situation, according to specialists.
- Picture Something Else: Mental imagery is essential. Try to associate the specific noise causing distress with something completely different. As an illustration, try to envision someone's slurping is just a waterfall. This technique is to teach your brain that the sound affecting you is neutral.
- Use Humor: Have a bit of fun and make the irritating noise into a competition with the person. For example, if someone is crunching loudly have a go at mimicking the sound. By joining in, instead of feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an engaged person. And the challenge should help distract your brain and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Create a Scenario: A further strategy is to try to fabricate an explanation about why the person making the noise is behaving that way. Imagine if someone was sniffing, maybe they are not at their best or are troubled. This approach is altering the perception of the sound. While the sound remains identical, your interpretation of it changes from being aggravating, to feeling a bit more accepting towards it.
