The Holiday Season Often Proves to Be a Living Hell for Misophonia Sufferers.
Lottie is looking forward to seeing her family over the holidays, but admits a key strategy she'll endure is by using her hearing protection - particularly at the holiday meal.
For her, this time of year can be a notably tough time as the auditory triggers of people eating, sipping loudly and breathing heavily trigger profound anxiety.
"There's this sensation of sudden panic, my entire being will just tense up and it feels like I'm in peril, and I need to stop these triggers."
The individual has suffered from sound sensitivity from a young age and for her that renders the holiday period "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to particular auditory triggers, especially noises coming from those around you.
The condition is widespread across the population. Experts discovered almost one in five people are affected by it.
Often it's noises linked to mouth, throat or facial movements that lead to discomfort, as well as examples such as chewing, heavy breathing, and pen clicking.
Triggering Stress
The sufferer notes: "There are so many different triggering sounds at Christmas and that can be anxiety inducing and make you dread it.
"My relatives are aware, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a internal conflict of managing my symptoms to ensure others enjoy themselves."
So it's clear why the traditionally happy time of the year can transform into a stressful ordeal for sufferers.
Noises that may be considered normal, like someone drinking champagne, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or eating the holiday meal can trigger a powerful reaction that can even result in them skipping events entirely.
She, a 21-year-old student, who has dealt with sound sensitivity from childhood, says her strategy is to put her earphones in to manage the meal. Usually, she would usually isolate herself in a quiet area to avoid distressing triggers.
She explains her misophonia is more intense around people she's most familiar with, so the holidays is always "challenging".
"People assume you to socialize with loved ones, and I want to, but it's draining.
"I feel as if this intense irritation washes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel stressed and begin to weep and then the stress response will activate.
"It may seem as if I'm being unreasonable and overreacting, but it's tough to describe without firsthand experience."
Three Ways to Handle It
If you suffer then there are various strategies you can attempt to manage the situation, according to clinical psychologists.
- Imagine a Different Scenario: Mental imagery is essential. Try to associate the particular sound affecting you with a neutral concept. So for example, try to imagine someone's slurping is just a waterfall. This technique is to teach your brain that the sound affecting you isn't harmful.
- Make it a Game: Use lightheartedness and turn the annoying sound into a challenge involving the source. For example, if someone is crunching loudly attempt joining in. By joining in, rather than feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an active participant. And the competition element should help redirect your focus and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Craft a Story: A further strategy is to try to fabricate an explanation about why the person creating the sound is having to make that sound. Imagine if someone was sniffing, perhaps they're not at their best or could be emotional. The idea is re-framing the context of the sound. Although the sound remains identical, your understanding of it moves from being irritating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate about it.
