Yuletide Transforms Into a Nightmare for Misophonia Sufferers.
One young woman is looking forward to being with her family this Christmas, but admits a primary method she'll endure is by using her noise-cancelling devices - notably for Christmas dinner.
For the 23-year-old, this time of year is a especially challenging period as the auditory triggers of family members munching, slurping and nose-blowing cause her intense distress.
"I get this feeling of sudden panic, my entire being will just freeze and it feels like I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to stop these sounds."
The individual has experienced sound sensitivity from a young age and for her that renders the festive season "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to specific noises, particularly those made by those around you.
It's surprisingly common amongst adults. Researchers found a significant portion of people experience it.
Typically it's noises associated with bodily functions that cause distress, along with things like crunching, heavy breathing, and pen clicking.
A Source of Dread
Lottie says: "You encounter so many various auditory triggers at Christmas and that can be stressful and make you dread it.
"My family are understanding, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a internal conflict of sacrificing my own sanity to make sure everyone else is happy."
So it's obvious why the traditionally happy time of the year can transform into a stressful ordeal for sufferers.
Sounds that may appear innocuous, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, opening presents, or eating the holiday meal can trigger a visceral feeling that can even cause them withdrawing from gatherings.
She, a university student, who has experienced misophonia from childhood, states her strategy is to use headphones to manage the meal. Typically, she would usually isolate herself in a quiet area to minimize problematic noises.
She says her sensitivity is worse around people she's closest to, so Christmas is always "difficult".
"There is pressure to spend time with family, and I want to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"The sensation is this uncontrollable anger comes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel panicked and burst into tears and then panic will kick in.
"It can come across as if I'm being unreasonable and overreacting, but it's hard to explain unless you've experienced it."
A Few Techniques to Handle It
If it's an issue then there are various strategies you can attempt to manage the situation, according to specialists.
- Visualise a Different Scenario: Imagination is key. Attempt to link the particular sound bothering you with a neutral concept. So for example, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a sink draining water. By doing this is to retrain your mind that the sound triggering you isn't harmful.
- Try a Competition: Have a bit of fun and turn the annoying sound into a challenge with the person. For example, if someone is eating noisily attempt joining in. By mimicking, rather than feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an active participant. And the challenge 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 why the person making the noise is having to make that sound. Imagine if someone was making a nasal sound, it could be that they're not feeling well or could be emotional. This approach is re-framing the context of the sound. Even though the noise doesn't change, your reaction of it changes from being aggravating, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.
