The Holiday Season Transforms Into a Living Hell for Misophonia Sufferers.
Lottie hopes for being with her relatives this Christmas, but notes a key strategy she'll cope is by using her earplugs - notably for the holiday meal.
In her case, Christmas is a notably tough period as the noises of family members munching, sipping loudly and breathing heavily cause her profound anxiety.
"There's this wave of immediate anxiety, my entire being will just tense up and it seems as if I'm in danger, and I need to stop these triggers."
The individual has experienced misophonia for several years and for her that causes the holiday period "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to specific noises, notably sounds coming from other people.
The condition is widespread amongst adults. Researchers found almost one in five people suffer from it.
Often it's noises linked to bodily functions that trigger a reaction, along with examples such as crunching, heavy breathing, and foot tapping.
'Anxiety Inducing'
The sufferer notes: "There are so many different triggering sounds at the holidays and that can be daunting and make you fear it.
"My family are aware, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a constant struggle of sacrificing my own sanity to guarantee everyone else is happy."
So it's obvious why the traditionally happy time of the year can transform 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 tucking into a Christmas dinner can cause a powerful reaction that can even lead to them skipping events entirely.
The student, a young adult, who has dealt with misophonia since aged 10, explains the approach she intends to use is to put her earphones in to manage the meal. On any other day, she would frequently go in a separate space to minimize distressing triggers.
She notes her sensitivity is more pronounced around people she's closest to, so the holidays is always "difficult".
"People assume you to socialize with family, and I want to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"The sensation is this intense irritation comes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel panicked and begin to weep and then the stress response will take over.
"To others it appears as if I'm being unreasonable and overreacting, but it's difficult to convey unless you've experienced it."
Several Strategies to Manage
If it's an issue then there are some different techniques you can try to cope the situation, as suggested by clinical psychologists.
- Imagine an Alternative: Imagination is essential. Work on connecting the particular sound bothering you with a neutral concept. As an illustration, try to picture someone's noisy drinking is just a sink draining water. The goal is to teach your brain that the sound triggering you isn't harmful.
- Try a Competition: Have a bit of fun and make the irritating noise into a game with the person. For instance, if someone is crunching loudly try joining in. By mimicking, instead of feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an engaged person. And the challenge should help redirect your focus and make you a little less affected.
- Craft a Story: Another technique is to try to invent a reason about the reason someone making the noise is doing it. Imagine if someone was making a nasal sound, maybe they are not feeling well or maybe they're upset. By doing this is re-framing the context of the sound. Although the sound doesn't change, your understanding of it moves from being annoying, to feeling a slightly more compassionate towards it.
