Yuletide Often Proves to Be a Nightmare for Misophonia Sufferers.
A 23-year-old hopes for being with her family this Christmas, but notes a primary method she'll cope is by using her earplugs - especially during Christmas dinner.
In her case, this time of year often feels like a especially challenging time as the noises of family members munching, sipping loudly and sniffling make her feel extremely uncomfortable.
"I get this feeling of immediate anxiety, my whole body will just tighten and it feels like I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to stop these triggers."
She has lived with misophonia since she was 16 and for her that makes the festive season "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to specific noises, particularly those made by those around you.
It is prevalent amongst adults. Researchers reported nearly 20% people experience it.
Typically it's noises connected to eating or drinking that cause distress, as well as things like chewing, heavy breathing, and pen clicking.
'Anxiety Inducing'
Lottie says: "You encounter so many various auditory triggers at Christmas and that can be stressful 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 internal conflict of enduring my distress to make sure everyone else is happy."
So it's easy to understand why the most wonderful time of the year can rapidly become a stressful ordeal for affected individuals.
Sounds that may appear innocuous, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, unwrapping gifts, or eating the holiday meal can trigger a strong emotional response that can even cause them skipping events entirely.
The student, a 21-year-old student, who has experienced misophonia from childhood, explains currently her plan is to listen to music to manage the meal. On any other day, she would usually isolate herself in a quiet area to escape distressing triggers.
She notes her misophonia is more pronounced around people she's most familiar with, so the holidays is always "difficult".
"There is pressure to be around loved ones, and I wish to, but it's draining.
"I feel as if this sudden rage takes hold, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel anxious and burst into tears and then fight-or-flight will take over.
"To others it appears as if I'm being difficult and dramatic, but it's difficult to convey if you haven't felt it."
Three Ways to Manage
If you suffer then there are some different techniques you can use to handle the situation, based on advice from clinical psychologists.
- Visualise a Different Scenario: Imagination is crucial. Attempt to link the specific noise affecting you with a neutral concept. For instance, try to picture someone's slurping is just a sink draining water. The goal is to teach your brain that the sound triggering you is neutral.
- Use Humor: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a competition with the culprit. As an example, if someone is crunching loudly try copying the noise. By joining in, rather than feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an active participant. And the challenge should help redirect your focus and make you a little less affected.
- Develop a Narrative: One more method is to try to create a little story about the reason someone creating the sound is behaving that way. Imagine if someone was sniffing, perhaps they're not in good health or could be emotional. The idea is re-framing the context of the sound. Even though the noise doesn't change, your reaction of it moves from being annoying, to feeling a little more neutral about it.