Yuletide Can Be a Living Hell for Misophonia Sufferers.
Lottie is looking forward to seeing her loved ones over the holidays, but says a primary method she'll cope is by relying on her hearing protection - notably for the holiday meal.
For the 23-year-old, Christmas often feels like a notably tough time as the sounds of other people chewing, slurping and sniffling cause her profound anxiety.
"I get this feeling of instant dread, my entire being will just tighten and it feels like I'm in peril, and I need to manage these sounds."
The individual has lived with misophonia from a young age and for her that makes the Christmas time "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to certain sounds, particularly those made by individuals.
It is prevalent in the UK. Researchers reported almost one in five people are affected by it.
Frequently it's sounds linked to mouth, throat or facial movements that lead to discomfort, including things like crunching, heavy breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
A Source of Dread
The sufferer notes: "You encounter so many assorted problematic noises at the holidays and that can be anxiety inducing and make you dread it.
"My relatives are understanding, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a constant struggle of managing my symptoms to make sure the event goes smoothly."
So it's clear why the most wonderful season can transform into a living nightmare for affected individuals.
Triggers that may be considered normal, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or eating the holiday meal can cause a visceral feeling that can even result in them withdrawing from gatherings.
The student, a 21-year-old student, who has dealt with misophonia for over a decade, explains the approach she intends to use is to use headphones to manage the meal. On any other day, she would often retreat in a separate space to avoid problematic noises.
She notes her misophonia is worse around people she's most comfortable with, so the holidays is always "hard".
"There is pressure to spend time with family, and I desire to, but it's draining.
"It's like this uncontrollable anger washes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel stressed and immediately start crying and then the stress response will take over.
"To others it appears as if I'm being oversensitive and dramatic, but it's hard to explain unless you've experienced it."
A Few Techniques to Manage
For those affected then there are various strategies you can attempt to manage the situation, as suggested by specialists.
- Visualise Something Else: Creative thinking is essential. Work on connecting the specific noise causing distress with a neutral concept. For instance, try to picture someone's slurping is just a sink draining water. The goal is to retrain your mind that the sound triggering you is neutral.
- Use Humor: Introduce playfulness and turn the annoying sound into a challenge involving the source. As an example, if someone is eating noisily try mimicking the sound. By mimicking, instead of feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an active participant. And the competition element should help distract your brain and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Develop a Narrative: One more method is to try to invent a reason about the reason someone making the noise is doing it. So if someone was sniffing, perhaps they're not in good health or are troubled. The idea is re-framing the context of the sound. Even though the noise stays the same, your interpretation of it changes from being annoying, to feeling a slightly more compassionate about it.
