Christmas Transforms Into a Living Hell for Misophonia Sufferers.
Lottie hopes for being with her loved ones over the holidays, but admits one of the only ways she'll cope is by relying on her hearing protection - particularly at the holiday meal.
In her case, this time of year is a particularly difficult period as the auditory triggers of family members munching, sipping loudly and breathing heavily trigger profound anxiety.
"I get this wave of immediate anxiety, my every muscle will just tense up and it as though I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to stop these noises."
She has experienced this condition since she was 16 and for her that makes the holiday period "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to specific noises, notably sounds made by individuals.
It's surprisingly common in the UK. Researchers discovered nearly 20% people are affected by it.
Typically it's noises linked to mouth, throat or facial movements that lead to discomfort, including things like chewing, breathing, and foot tapping.
'Anxiety Inducing'
She explains: "There are so many various auditory triggers at the holidays and that can be daunting and make you fear it.
"My family are aware, 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 easy to understand why the supposedly joyous season can quickly turn into a source of agony for those with the condition.
Sounds that may appear innocuous, like someone drinking champagne, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or eating the holiday meal can cause a strong emotional response that can even lead to them avoiding social settings altogether.
The student, a university student, who has dealt with sound sensitivity since aged 10, states currently her plan is to listen to music to cope. Typically, she would often retreat in a separate space to avoid triggering sounds.
She explains her sensitivity is more intense around people she's closest to, so the holidays is always "hard".
"There's an expectation to socialize with family, and I desire to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"It's like this uncontrollable anger washes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel stressed and immediately start crying and then fight-or-flight will kick in.
"To others it appears as if I'm being difficult and overreacting, but it's hard to explain if you haven't felt it."
A Few Techniques to Manage
If it's an issue then there are various strategies you can attempt to manage the situation, based on advice from clinical psychologists.
- Visualise an Alternative: Creative thinking is crucial. Work on connecting the particular sound bothering you with a neutral concept. For instance, try to picture someone's slurping is just a sink draining water. This technique is to help your brain learn that the sound affecting you poses no threat.
- Try a Competition: Use lightheartedness and turn the annoying sound into a competition involving the source. As an example, if someone is eating noisily attempt copying the noise. Through participation, instead of feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an willing part. And the competition element should help shift your attention and make you a little less affected.
- Develop a Narrative: A further strategy is to try to fabricate an explanation about the reason someone making the noise is doing it. For example if someone was sniffing, perhaps they're not at their best or could be emotional. By doing this is altering the perception of the sound. Although the noise remains identical, your understanding of it moves from being aggravating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate towards it.
