Christmas Transforms Into a Terrifying Experience for Misophonia Sufferers.
Lottie anticipates being with her relatives this Christmas, but says one of the only ways she'll endure is by using her hearing protection - particularly at the main festive feast.
In her case, this time of year often feels like a particularly difficult period as the sounds of family members munching, drinking noisily and nose-blowing cause her intense distress.
"There's this feeling of instant dread, my whole body will just tighten and it as though I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to stop these sounds."
Lottie has experienced misophonia from a young age and for her that makes the holiday period "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to particular auditory triggers, especially noises coming from other people.
The condition is widespread across the population. Experts reported almost one in five people experience it.
Frequently it's sounds linked to bodily functions that lead to discomfort, including examples such as chewing, breathing, and pen clicking.
Triggering Stress
She explains: "I face so many various auditory triggers at the holidays and that can be anxiety inducing and make you fear it.
"My relatives are aware, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to upset others. It's like a really big battle of managing my symptoms to ensure others enjoy themselves."
So it's obvious why the most wonderful season can transform into a stressful ordeal for sufferers.
Triggers that may be considered normal, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or eating the holiday meal can provoke a powerful reaction that can even result in them withdrawing from gatherings.
She, a 21-year-old student, who has dealt with misophonia from childhood, says her strategy is to put her earphones in to manage the meal. Usually, she would frequently go in a quiet area to avoid triggering sounds.
She explains her misophonia is worse around people she's most comfortable with, so Christmas is always "difficult".
"There's an expectation to be around family, and I want to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"It's like this sudden rage washes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel panicked and immediately start crying and then fight-or-flight will activate.
"It can come across as if I'm being unreasonable and melodramatic, but it's difficult to convey if you haven't felt it."
A Few Techniques to Manage
If you suffer then there are some different techniques you can use to handle the situation, as suggested by specialists.
- Picture an Alternative: Mental imagery is essential. Try to associate the specific noise bothering you with something completely different. So for example, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a sink draining water. The goal is to help your brain learn that the sound affecting you poses no threat.
- Use Humor: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a challenge with the person. As an example, if someone is eating noisily attempt mimicking the sound. Through participation, rather than feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an active participant. And the game aspect should help shift your attention and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Craft a Story: Another technique is to try to fabricate an explanation about the reason someone creating the sound is behaving that way. For example if someone was sniffing, it could be that they're not in good health or maybe they're upset. This approach is re-framing the context of the sound. Although the noise stays the same, your understanding of it changes from being irritating, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.