Yuletide Transforms Into a Living Hell for Those with Misophonia.
Lottie anticipates being with her family during the festive period, but notes a primary method she'll cope is by wearing her noise-cancelling devices - notably for the main festive feast.
For her, the holidays often feels like a notably tough season as the auditory triggers of family members munching, sipping loudly and sniffling cause her intense distress.
"There's this wave of instant dread, my entire being will just tense up and it seems as if I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to somehow control these noises."
Lottie has lived with this condition for several years and for her that causes the Christmas time "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to certain sounds, notably sounds coming from other people.
The condition is widespread across the population. A study reported nearly 20% people are affected by it.
Typically it's noises linked to mouth, throat or facial movements that cause distress, including things like crunching, breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
'Anxiety Inducing'
Lottie says: "I face so many assorted problematic noises at Christmas and that can be daunting and make you want to avoid it.
"My relatives are understanding, but I'm very aware that I don't want to upset others. It's like a really big battle of enduring my distress to ensure the event goes smoothly."
So it's clear why the most wonderful period can transform into a source of agony for affected individuals.
Noises that may seem harmless, like someone sipping a beverage, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can provoke a strong emotional response that can even cause them avoiding social settings altogether.
She, a 21-year-old student, who has struggled with misophonia from childhood, says her strategy is to put her earphones in to manage the meal. Usually, she would often retreat in a separate space to avoid triggering sounds.
She says her condition is more pronounced around people she's most familiar with, so Christmas is always "challenging".
"There's an expectation to be around family, and I wish to, but it's draining.
"It's like this intense irritation comes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel panicked and burst into tears and then panic will activate.
"To others it appears as if I'm being unreasonable and melodramatic, but it's difficult to convey unless you've experienced it."
A Few Techniques to Manage
If you suffer then there are some different techniques you can use to handle the situation, based on advice from specialists.
- Visualise an Alternative: Mental imagery is key. Try to associate the triggering sound bothering you with an unrelated image. So for example, try to picture someone's slurping is just a sink draining water. This technique 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 challenge with the person. As an example, if someone is crunching loudly try mimicking the sound. By joining in, rather than feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an engaged person. And the challenge 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 why the person making the noise is doing it. For example if someone was making a nasal sound, it could be that they're not feeling well or could be emotional. By doing this is re-framing the context of the sound. Even though the sound remains identical, your understanding of it changes from being aggravating, to feeling a little more neutral towards it.
