Yuletide Often Proves to Be a Living Hell for Those with Misophonia.
Lottie hopes for seeing her loved ones this Christmas, but notes one of the only ways she'll cope is by relying on her noise-cancelling devices - particularly at the main festive feast.
For the 23-year-old, the holidays often feels like a particularly difficult time as the noises of people eating, sipping loudly and breathing heavily make her feel extremely uncomfortable.
"I get this feeling of immediate anxiety, my entire being will just tense up and it as though I'm in danger, and I need to manage these triggers."
Lottie has suffered from sound sensitivity for several years and for her that renders the Christmas time "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to particular auditory triggers, notably sounds made by those around you.
It is prevalent amongst adults. Experts found nearly 20% people suffer from it.
Often it's sounds linked to mouth, throat or facial movements that cause distress, as well as examples such as crunching, heavy breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
A Source of Dread
Lottie says: "You encounter so many different triggering sounds at the holidays and that can be stressful and make you want to avoid it.
"My family are supportive, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a constant struggle of enduring my distress to ensure others enjoy themselves."
So it's easy to understand why the traditionally happy time of the year can transform into a living nightmare for those with the condition.
Triggers that may be considered normal, like someone sipping a beverage, opening presents, or eating the holiday meal can trigger a visceral feeling that can even result in them withdrawing from gatherings.
The student, a university student, who has dealt with sound sensitivity from childhood, says the approach she intends to use is to use headphones to manage the meal. On any other day, she would frequently go in a quiet area to avoid triggering sounds.
She explains her sensitivity is more pronounced around people she's closest to, so the holidays is always "challenging".
"There is pressure to socialize with loved ones, and I desire to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"The sensation is this uncontrollable anger comes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel anxious and begin to weep and then panic will activate.
"To others it appears as if I'm being unreasonable and overreacting, 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 a few methods you can try to cope the situation, as suggested by experts.
- Picture a Different Scenario: Creative thinking is essential. Attempt to link the specific noise affecting you with an unrelated image. So for example, try to picture someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. The goal is to teach your brain that the sound affecting you is neutral.
- Try a Competition: Use lightheartedness and make the irritating noise into a competition involving the source. For instance, if someone is crunching loudly attempt joining in. Through participation, rather than feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an active participant. And the competition element should help shift your attention and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Create a Scenario: Another technique is to try to create a little story about why the person making the noise is doing it. For example if someone was sniffing, it could be that they're not in good health or could be emotional. The idea is altering the perception of the sound. Even though the sound doesn't change, your interpretation of it changes from being annoying, to feeling a little more neutral about it.
