The Holiday Season Can Be a Nightmare for Those with Misophonia.
A 23-year-old is looking forward to spending time with her loved ones over the holidays, but notes a key strategy she'll manage to get through it is by relying on her hearing protection - especially during Christmas dinner.
For the 23-year-old, this time of year often feels like a especially challenging period as the auditory triggers of other people chewing, drinking noisily and nose-blowing cause her profound anxiety.
"I get this sensation of immediate anxiety, my entire being will just tighten and it seems as if I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to stop these sounds."
Lottie has suffered from misophonia since she was 16 and for her that renders the festive season "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to particular auditory triggers, particularly those coming from other people.
It's surprisingly common across the population. Experts discovered nearly 20% people suffer from it.
Frequently it's sounds connected to mouth, throat or facial movements that lead to discomfort, along with things like crunching, breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
Triggering Stress
Lottie says: "I face so many different triggering sounds at the holidays and that can be anxiety inducing and make you fear it.
"Those close to me are understanding, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a constant struggle of enduring my distress to guarantee everyone else is happy."
So it's easy to understand why the supposedly joyous season can transform into a living nightmare for those with the condition.
Noises that may seem harmless, like someone drinking champagne, unwrapping gifts, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can cause a visceral feeling that can even lead to them skipping events entirely.
Jenna, a young adult, who has experienced sound sensitivity for over a decade, says currently her plan is to use headphones to cope. On any other day, she would usually isolate herself in a different room to escape distressing triggers.
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 loved ones, and I want to, but it's draining.
"It's like this uncontrollable anger washes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel panicked and immediately start crying and then the stress response will kick in.
"It can come across as if I'm being unreasonable and dramatic, but it's hard to explain unless you've experienced it."
Several Strategies to Manage
If it's an issue then there are some different techniques you can use to handle the situation, according to clinical psychologists.
- Visualise an Alternative: Mental imagery is crucial. Work on connecting the specific noise affecting you with a neutral concept. As an illustration, try to picture someone's noisy drinking is just a waterfall. By doing this 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. As an example, if someone is crunching loudly attempt mimicking the sound. By mimicking, rather than feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an active participant. And the game aspect should help shift your attention and make you a little less affected.
- Develop a Narrative: A further strategy is to try to invent a reason about the reason someone creating the sound is having to make that sound. Imagine if someone was sniffing, it could be that they're not at their best or could be emotional. By doing this is altering the perception of the sound. Although the sound stays the same, your reaction of it moves from being annoying, to feeling a little more neutral towards it.