Christmas Often Proves to Be a Nightmare for Those with Misophonia.
Lottie anticipates being with her loved ones during the festive period, but says a primary method she'll manage to get through it is by relying on her noise-cancelling devices - particularly at the main festive feast.
In her case, this time of year often feels like a especially challenging season as the auditory triggers of people eating, drinking noisily and breathing heavily trigger profound anxiety.
"I get this wave of immediate anxiety, my every muscle will just tense up and it seems as if I'm in danger, and I need to manage these triggers."
Lottie has suffered from sound sensitivity for several years and for her that causes the Christmas time "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to certain sounds, notably sounds made by other people.
It's surprisingly common amongst adults. A study found almost one in five people suffer from it.
Frequently it's noises connected to mouth, throat or facial movements that cause distress, as well as things like chewing, heavy breathing, and pen clicking.
Triggering Stress
The sufferer notes: "I face so many different triggering sounds at Christmas and that can be daunting and make you dread it.
"Those close to me are supportive, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to upset others. It's like a constant struggle of sacrificing my own sanity to ensure others enjoy themselves."
So it's easy to understand why the traditionally happy season can rapidly become a source of agony for those with the condition.
Sounds that may be considered normal, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, unwrapping gifts, or enjoying festive food can cause a strong emotional response that can even cause them avoiding social settings altogether.
The student, a 21-year-old student, who has experienced sound sensitivity from childhood, explains the approach she intends to use is to listen to music to cope. On any other day, she would often retreat in a separate space to escape distressing triggers.
She notes her misophonia is more intense around people she's most comfortable with, so Christmas is always "hard".
"There is pressure to spend time with family, and I desire to, but it's draining.
"The sensation is this sudden rage comes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel anxious and burst into tears and then fight-or-flight will kick in.
"It can come across as if I'm being difficult and dramatic, but it's tough to describe without firsthand experience."
Three Ways to Cope
If you suffer then there are some different techniques you can try to cope the situation, as suggested by clinical psychologists.
- Picture Something Else: Creative thinking is crucial. Try to associate the specific noise causing distress with an unrelated image. As an illustration, try to picture someone's slurping is just a waterfall. By doing this is to help your brain learn that the sound affecting you poses no threat.
- Make it a Game: Introduce playfulness and turn the annoying sound into a challenge with the culprit. For instance, if someone is crunching loudly try mimicking the sound. By joining in, rather than feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an willing part. And the challenge should help redirect your focus and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Create a Scenario: A further strategy is to try to fabricate an explanation about the reason someone making the noise is doing it. For example if someone was sniffing, it could be that they're not at their best or maybe they're upset. By doing this is re-framing the context of the sound. Although the noise doesn't change, your reaction of it shifts from being annoying, to feeling a little more neutral about it.
