The Holiday Season Often Proves to Be a Nightmare for Those with Misophonia.
Lottie is looking forward to being with her relatives during the festive period, but says one of the only ways she'll cope is by wearing her earplugs - particularly at the holiday meal.
For the 23-year-old, this time of year is a notably tough time as the sounds of other people chewing, slurping and breathing heavily make her feel extremely uncomfortable.
"I get this sensation of sudden panic, my entire being will just tighten and it feels like I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to somehow control these sounds."
The individual has experienced misophonia from a young age and for her that causes the Christmas time "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to certain sounds, notably sounds coming from those around you.
It is prevalent amongst adults. Experts reported almost one in five people suffer from it.
Often it's sounds associated with mouth, throat or facial movements that trigger a reaction, including things like crunching, heavy breathing, and pen clicking.
A Source of Dread
She explains: "I face so many different triggering sounds at the holidays and that can be daunting and make you want to avoid it.
"My family are aware, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a constant struggle of sacrificing my own sanity to guarantee others enjoy themselves."
So it's clear why the traditionally happy period can rapidly become a living nightmare for those with the condition.
Sounds that may seem harmless, like someone sipping a beverage, opening presents, or enjoying festive food can cause a powerful reaction that can even lead to them avoiding social settings altogether.
She, a 21-year-old student, who has struggled with misophonia since aged 10, states the approach she intends to use is to listen to music to get through dinner. Typically, she would often retreat in a separate space to minimize triggering sounds.
She notes her condition is more pronounced around people she's most comfortable with, so Christmas is always "difficult".
"People assume you to be around family, and I wish to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"It's like this uncontrollable anger comes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel panicked and burst into tears and then fight-or-flight will kick in.
"To others it appears as if I'm being oversensitive 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 experts.
- Visualise a Different Scenario: Imagination is key. Try to associate the particular sound causing distress with a neutral concept. As an illustration, try to envision someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. By doing this is to help your brain learn that the sound triggering you is neutral.
- Use Humor: Have a bit of fun and make the irritating noise into a game with the culprit. As an example, if someone is crunching loudly try mimicking the sound. By joining in, rather than feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an active participant. And the game aspect should help distract your brain and make you a little less affected.
- Create a Scenario: One more method is to try to create a little story about the reason someone making the noise is behaving that way. So if someone was sniffing, maybe they are not feeling well or are troubled. This approach is changing the meaning of the sound. While the sound stays the same, your understanding of it changes from being irritating, to feeling a little more neutral about it.
