The Holiday Season Can Be a Terrifying Experience for Those with Misophonia.
A 23-year-old anticipates being with her family during the festive period, but admits one of the only ways she'll cope is by wearing her noise-cancelling devices - especially during the main festive feast.
In her case, the holidays is a particularly difficult season as the noises of people eating, sipping loudly and sniffling cause her intense distress.
"There's this wave of immediate anxiety, my whole body will just freeze and it seems as if I'm in peril, and I need to stop these noises."
Lottie has experienced misophonia from a young age and for her that renders the Christmas time "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to certain sounds, especially noises made by those around you.
It's surprisingly common across the population. Experts found a significant portion of people are affected by it.
Typically it's noises linked to mouth, throat or facial movements that lead to discomfort, including examples such as chewing, heavy breathing, and pen clicking.
'Anxiety Inducing'
She explains: "I face so many different triggering sounds at Christmas and that can be stressful and make you fear it.
"Those close to me are supportive, but I'm very aware that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a internal conflict of enduring my distress to make sure the event goes smoothly."
So it's obvious why the supposedly joyous time of the year can quickly turn into a source of agony for those with the condition.
Noises that may seem harmless, like someone drinking champagne, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or enjoying festive food can trigger a powerful reaction that can even cause them withdrawing from gatherings.
Jenna, a 21-year-old student, who has dealt with misophonia from childhood, says the approach she intends to use is to listen to music to manage the meal. On any other day, she would often retreat in a different room to escape problematic noises.
She explains her condition is worse around people she's closest to, so the holidays is always "hard".
"People assume you to be around loved ones, and I want to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"I feel as if this intense irritation washes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel panicked and begin to weep and then fight-or-flight will take over.
"To others it appears as if I'm being unreasonable and dramatic, but it's tough to describe if you haven't felt it."
A Few Techniques to Handle It
If it's an issue then there are a few methods you can try to cope the situation, as suggested by clinical psychologists.
- Imagine an Alternative: Creative thinking is essential. Try to associate the triggering sound affecting you with an unrelated image. For instance, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. The goal is to help your brain learn that the sound affecting you is neutral.
- Try a Competition: Use lightheartedness and turn the annoying sound into a challenge with the person. For example, if someone is crunching loudly try copying the noise. Through participation, instead of feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an willing part. And the competition element should help shift your attention and make you a little less affected.
- Create a Scenario: One more method is to try to invent a reason about why the person creating the sound is doing it. So if someone was making a nasal sound, maybe they are not at their best or could be emotional. This approach is re-framing the context of the sound. Although the sound stays the same, your understanding of it changes from being aggravating, to feeling a bit more accepting towards it.
