Yuletide Transforms Into a Living Hell for Misophonia Sufferers.
Lottie anticipates being with her family during the festive period, but says a primary method she'll manage to get through it is by wearing her earplugs - especially during Christmas dinner.
For the 23-year-old, this time of year often feels like a particularly difficult time as the noises of family members munching, drinking noisily and nose-blowing trigger extremely uncomfortable.
"I get this sensation of immediate anxiety, my whole body will just tighten and it seems as if I'm in peril, and I need to stop these sounds."
She has lived with this condition since she was 16 and for her that causes the Christmas time "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to particular auditory triggers, notably sounds coming from individuals.
It is prevalent amongst adults. Experts found nearly 20% people experience it.
Frequently it's noises connected to eating or drinking that lead to discomfort, including things like chewing, breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
Triggering Stress
She explains: "I face so many various auditory triggers at the holidays and that can be stressful and make you want to avoid it.
"My relatives are aware, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a internal conflict of managing my symptoms to ensure others enjoy themselves."
So it's clear why the supposedly joyous time of the year can quickly turn into a stressful ordeal for affected individuals.
Sounds that may appear innocuous, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, opening presents, or enjoying festive food can cause a visceral feeling that can even result in them avoiding social settings altogether.
Jenna, a young adult, who has struggled with misophonia since aged 10, says currently her plan is to use headphones to cope. Usually, she would frequently go in a separate space to avoid problematic noises.
She says her sensitivity is more intense around people she's most comfortable with, so Christmas is always "difficult".
"There's an expectation to socialize with family, and I desire to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"The sensation is this uncontrollable anger comes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel anxious and immediately start crying and then the stress response will activate.
"To others it appears as if I'm being oversensitive and melodramatic, but it's difficult to convey if you haven't felt it."
Three Ways to Cope
If you suffer then there are some different techniques you can try to cope the situation, according to specialists.
- Picture Something Else: Creative thinking is essential. Try to associate the triggering sound affecting you with a neutral concept. So for example, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a waterfall. The goal is to help your brain learn that the sound affecting you is neutral.
- Make it a Game: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a game involving the source. For example, if someone is crunching loudly attempt joining in. Through participation, rather than feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an willing part. And the competition element should help redirect your focus and make you a little less affected.
- Develop a Narrative: Another technique is to try to invent a reason about the reason someone creating the sound is having to make that sound. So if someone was making a nasal sound, perhaps they're not at their best or maybe they're upset. The idea is re-framing the context of the sound. Even though the noise stays the same, your interpretation of it moves from being irritating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate about it.
