Christmas Often Proves to Be a Nightmare for Misophonia Sufferers.
One young woman anticipates seeing her relatives over the holidays, but notes a key strategy she'll endure is by relying on her hearing protection - particularly at Christmas dinner.
For her, Christmas is a particularly difficult season as the noises of other people chewing, slurping and breathing heavily trigger intense distress.
"There's this sensation of immediate anxiety, my whole body will just tighten and it seems as if I'm in peril, and I need to somehow control these triggers."
Lottie has experienced this condition since she was 16 and for her that makes the Christmas time "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to specific noises, particularly those made by other people.
It is prevalent amongst adults. A study reported almost one in five people suffer from it.
Often it's sounds connected to mouth, throat or facial movements that cause distress, along with things like crunching, heavy breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
Triggering Stress
She explains: "I face so many various auditory triggers at the holidays and that can be anxiety inducing and make you dread it.
"Those close to me are understanding, but I'm very aware that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a constant struggle of managing my symptoms to ensure others enjoy themselves."
So it's easy to understand why the traditionally happy time of the year can transform into a source of agony for those with the condition.
Sounds that may be considered normal, like someone drinking champagne, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or enjoying festive food can cause a visceral feeling that can even cause them withdrawing from gatherings.
The student, a young adult, who has dealt with sound sensitivity since aged 10, states the approach she intends to use is to put her earphones in to cope. On any other day, she would usually isolate herself in a quiet area to minimize distressing triggers.
She explains her condition is more pronounced around people she's most familiar with, so Christmas is always "challenging".
"There's an expectation to be around loved ones, and I want to, but it's draining.
"I feel as if this uncontrollable anger comes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel stressed 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 difficult to convey without firsthand experience."
Several Strategies to Handle It
If it's an issue then there are various strategies you can use to handle the situation, based on advice from experts.
- Imagine a Different Scenario: Mental imagery is crucial. Attempt to link the specific noise bothering you with an unrelated image. For instance, try to imagine someone's slurping is just a waterfall. By doing this is to teach your brain that the sound triggering you isn't harmful.
- Use Humor: Have a bit of fun and turn the annoying sound into a challenge with the culprit. For instance, if someone is crunching loudly have a go at copying the noise. By joining in, rather than feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an willing part. And the game aspect should help shift your attention and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Craft a Story: A further strategy is to try to invent a reason about the reason someone 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. The idea is re-framing the context of the sound. Even though the noise doesn't change, your understanding of it moves from being irritating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate towards it.