Christmas Can Be a Living Hell for Misophonia Sufferers.
One young woman is looking forward to spending time with her loved ones over the holidays, but notes a primary method she'll cope is by relying on her hearing protection - especially during the main festive feast.
For the 23-year-old, Christmas can be a notably tough period as the noises of other people chewing, sipping loudly and breathing heavily make her feel profound anxiety.
"I experience this sensation of instant dread, my every muscle will just tense up and it feels like I'm in danger, and I need to stop these noises."
The individual has suffered from sound sensitivity since she was 16 and for her that renders the festive season "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to certain sounds, especially noises produced by those around you.
The condition is widespread in the UK. Experts discovered a significant portion of people suffer from it.
Often it's noises connected to bodily functions that lead to discomfort, including things like crunching, heavy breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
Triggering Stress
Lottie says: "I face so many various auditory triggers at Christmas and that can be daunting and make you want to avoid it.
"Those close to me are supportive, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to upset others. It's like a really big battle of enduring my distress to ensure others enjoy themselves."
So it's clear why the supposedly joyous period can rapidly become a source of agony for sufferers.
Sounds that may seem harmless, like someone sipping a beverage, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or enjoying festive food can trigger a visceral feeling that can even cause them skipping events entirely.
She, a university student, who has dealt with misophonia since aged 10, says her strategy is to listen to music to cope. Usually, she would usually isolate herself in a quiet area to avoid triggering sounds.
She says her misophonia is more intense around people she's most familiar with, so the holidays is always "hard".
"People assume you to be around family, and I desire to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"It's like this sudden rage comes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel anxious and begin to weep and then panic will kick in.
"It can come across as if I'm being oversensitive and overreacting, but it's hard to explain if you haven't felt it."
Three Ways to Cope
For those affected then there are a few methods you can try to cope the situation, based on advice from experts.
- Visualise Something Else: Creative thinking is essential. Try to associate the triggering sound affecting you with something completely different. For instance, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a waterfall. This technique is to help your brain learn that the sound affecting you is neutral.
- Make it a Game: Introduce playfulness and turn the annoying sound into a challenge involving the source. For instance, if someone is eating noisily try mimicking the sound. Through participation, instead of feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an engaged person. And the challenge should help redirect your focus and make you a little less affected.
- Create a Scenario: A further strategy is to try to create a little story about why the person creating the sound is behaving that way. Imagine if someone was sniffing, perhaps they're not feeling well or are troubled. This approach is altering the perception of the sound. Even though the sound doesn't change, your interpretation of it moves from being aggravating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate about it.
