The Holiday Season Often Proves to Be a Living Hell for Misophonia Sufferers.
One young woman is looking forward to seeing her family over the holidays, but notes a key strategy she'll endure is by relying on her earplugs - notably for Christmas dinner.
For the 23-year-old, Christmas can be a particularly difficult season as the noises of other people chewing, sipping loudly and sniffling make her feel extremely uncomfortable.
"I get this feeling of instant dread, my whole body will just tense up and it seems as if I'm in peril, and I need to somehow control these sounds."
Lottie has experienced misophonia from a young age and for her that causes the holiday period "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to certain sounds, notably sounds made by individuals.
It is prevalent amongst adults. Researchers found almost one in five people are affected by it.
Often it's sounds associated with mouth, throat or facial movements that lead to discomfort, including things like chewing, breathing, and foot tapping.
Triggering Stress
She explains: "There are so many different triggering sounds at Christmas and that can be anxiety inducing and make you dread it.
"My relatives are understanding, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a really big battle of managing my symptoms to guarantee the event goes smoothly."
So it's easy to understand why the supposedly joyous time of the year can transform into a stressful ordeal for those with the condition.
Triggers that may seem harmless, like someone drinking champagne, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can trigger a strong emotional response that can even lead to them withdrawing from gatherings.
She, a university student, who has experienced misophonia for over a decade, states currently her plan is to use headphones to manage the meal. On any other day, she would frequently go in a quiet area to minimize problematic noises.
She notes her misophonia is more intense around people she's closest to, so the holidays is always "hard".
"There's an expectation to spend time with loved ones, and I want to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"I feel as if this intense irritation takes hold, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel anxious and immediately start crying and then the stress response will take over.
"It can come across as if I'm being unreasonable and overreacting, but it's hard to explain unless you've experienced it."
Three Ways to Cope
If it's an issue then there are a few methods you can try to cope the situation, as suggested by specialists.
- Imagine a Different Scenario: Creative thinking is key. Attempt to link the triggering sound affecting you with a neutral concept. For instance, try to picture someone's slurping is just a gentle stream. This technique is to retrain your mind that the sound affecting you isn't harmful.
- Make it a Game: Have a bit of fun and make the irritating noise into a challenge involving the source. For example, if someone is eating noisily have a go at mimicking the sound. By joining in, rather than feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an active participant. And the competition element should help distract your brain and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Create a Scenario: One more method is to try to fabricate an explanation about the reason someone creating the sound is doing it. So if someone was sniffing, it could be that they're not at their best or could be emotional. This approach is changing the meaning of the sound. Although the noise remains identical, your interpretation of it moves from being annoying, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.
