Christmas Transforms Into a Terrifying Experience for Those with Misophonia.
One young woman hopes for being with her loved ones over the holidays, but says a key strategy she'll cope is by relying on her noise-cancelling devices - notably for the main festive feast.
For her, this time of year often feels like a especially challenging season as the auditory triggers of people eating, drinking noisily and sniffling cause her intense distress.
"I experience this feeling of sudden panic, my every muscle will just tighten and it as though I'm in danger, and I need to stop these sounds."
She has experienced sound sensitivity since she was 16 and for her that makes the Christmas time "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to certain sounds, especially noises made by other people.
The condition is widespread across the population. Experts found a significant portion of people are affected by it.
Often it's noises connected to mouth, throat or facial movements that trigger a reaction, including examples such as chewing, breathing, and foot tapping.
Triggering Stress
Lottie says: "There are so many different triggering sounds at the holidays and that can be stressful and make you want to avoid it.
"Those close to me are aware, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a really big battle of managing my symptoms to guarantee everyone else is happy."
So it's obvious why the supposedly joyous season can rapidly become a stressful ordeal for affected individuals.
Noises that may appear innocuous, like someone drinking champagne, opening presents, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can trigger a powerful reaction that can even lead to them skipping events entirely.
The student, a university student, who has struggled with misophonia from childhood, explains her strategy is to use headphones to get through dinner. Usually, she would frequently go in a different room to escape distressing triggers.
She notes her sensitivity is more pronounced around people she's most comfortable with, so Christmas is always "challenging".
"There's an expectation to socialize with family, and I desire to, but it's draining.
"I feel as if this sudden rage washes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel anxious and begin to weep and then panic will kick in.
"It may seem as if I'm being difficult and dramatic, but it's hard to explain if you haven't felt it."
A Few Techniques to Manage
If you suffer then there are a few methods you can attempt to manage the situation, based on advice from clinical psychologists.
- Imagine Something Else: Imagination is crucial. Try to associate the particular sound affecting you with a neutral concept. So for example, try to envision someone's noisy drinking is just a sink draining water. By doing this is to help your brain learn that the sound affecting you poses no threat.
- Try a Competition: Introduce playfulness and turn the annoying sound into a competition involving the source. For instance, if someone is eating noisily have a go at copying the noise. By joining in, rather than feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an engaged person. And the game aspect should help shift your attention and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Create a Scenario: One more method is to try to fabricate an explanation about the reason someone making the noise is behaving that way. So if someone was making a nasal sound, perhaps they're not in good health or are troubled. This approach is re-framing the context of the sound. Even though the noise stays the same, your reaction of it moves from being aggravating, to feeling a bit more accepting towards it.