Yuletide Can Be a Nightmare for Misophonia Sufferers.
One young woman is looking forward to seeing her loved ones over the holidays, but says a primary method she'll cope is by relying on her noise-cancelling devices - especially during the holiday meal.
In her case, the holidays can be a particularly difficult season as the noises of people eating, slurping and breathing heavily trigger profound anxiety.
"There's this wave of immediate anxiety, my whole body will just freeze and it as though I'm in peril, and I need to somehow control these sounds."
Lottie has experienced sound sensitivity for several years and for her that makes the Christmas time "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to particular auditory triggers, especially noises made by those around you.
It's surprisingly common amongst adults. A study discovered nearly 20% people are affected by it.
Often it's noises connected to eating or drinking that cause distress, as well as examples such as crunching, heavy breathing, and foot tapping.
A Source of Dread
The sufferer notes: "I face so many assorted problematic noises at Christmas and that can be stressful and make you dread 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 make sure others enjoy themselves."
So it's obvious why the supposedly joyous period can quickly turn into a source of agony for affected individuals.
Noises that may be considered normal, like someone drinking champagne, opening presents, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can provoke a strong emotional response that can even cause them avoiding social settings altogether.
She, a young adult, who has struggled with sound sensitivity from childhood, states the approach she intends to use is to put her earphones in to manage the meal. On any other day, she would usually isolate herself in a quiet area to minimize distressing triggers.
She explains her condition is more intense around people she's closest to, so the holidays is always "difficult".
"There's an expectation to socialize with loved ones, and I wish to, but it's draining.
"The sensation is this uncontrollable anger washes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel anxious and burst into tears and then the stress response will kick in.
"It can come across as if I'm being oversensitive and dramatic, but it's difficult to convey if you haven't felt it."
A Few Techniques to Cope
If it's an issue then there are various strategies you can use to handle the situation, as suggested by clinical psychologists.
- Picture an Alternative: Creative thinking is essential. Attempt to link the particular sound causing distress with a neutral concept. As an illustration, try to envision someone's slurping is just a waterfall. By doing this is to help your brain learn that the sound affecting you isn't harmful.
- Make it a Game: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a game with the person. For instance, if someone is crunching loudly try copying the noise. Through participation, rather than feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an engaged person. And the challenge should help redirect your focus and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Develop a Narrative: Another technique is to try to create a little story about the reason someone making the noise is having to make that sound. Imagine if someone was sniffing, it could be that they're not in good health or maybe they're upset. By doing this is re-framing the context of the sound. Even though the noise remains identical, your reaction of it moves from being irritating, to feeling a little more neutral towards it.
