The Holiday Season Can Be a Living Hell for Misophonia Sufferers.
One young woman is looking forward to seeing her relatives over the holidays, but notes a key strategy she'll endure is by relying on her noise-cancelling devices - particularly at Christmas dinner.
For the 23-year-old, the holidays is a notably tough season as the noises of family members munching, drinking noisily and breathing heavily make her feel profound anxiety.
"I get this feeling of sudden panic, my every muscle will just tense up and it seems as if I'm in peril, and I need to stop these noises."
The individual has suffered from this condition for several years and for her that causes the Christmas time "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to certain sounds, particularly those made by individuals.
The condition is widespread amongst adults. A study discovered a significant portion of people experience it.
Frequently it's noises associated with bodily functions that lead to discomfort, as well as things like crunching, breathing, and pen clicking.
'Anxiety Inducing'
Lottie says: "You encounter so many various auditory triggers at Christmas and that can be daunting and make you fear it.
"My relatives are aware, but I'm very aware that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a constant struggle of managing my symptoms to guarantee everyone else is happy."
So it's clear why the most wonderful season can quickly turn into a living nightmare for those with the condition.
Sounds that may appear innocuous, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, opening presents, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can cause a strong emotional response that can even lead to them withdrawing from gatherings.
She, a young adult, who has struggled with misophonia for over a decade, explains the approach she intends to use is to listen to music to manage the meal. Typically, she would frequently go in a separate space to minimize distressing triggers.
She says her condition is more intense around people she's most familiar with, so the holidays is always "hard".
"People assume you to spend time with loved ones, and I wish to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"It's like this intense irritation comes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel anxious and immediately start crying and then panic will take over.
"To others it appears as if I'm being oversensitive and dramatic, but it's difficult to convey unless you've experienced it."
Three Ways to Cope
For those affected then there are some different techniques you can try to cope the situation, according to clinical psychologists.
- Picture Something Else: Mental imagery is crucial. Try to associate the particular sound affecting you with something completely different. For instance, try to imagine someone's slurping is just a waterfall. The goal is to teach your brain that the sound triggering you poses no threat.
- Try a Competition: Have a bit of fun and make the irritating noise into a competition involving the source. For example, if someone is eating noisily try joining in. Through participation, instead of feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an active participant. And the game aspect should help distract your brain and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Craft a Story: A further strategy is to try to invent a reason about why the person making the noise is having to make that sound. Imagine if someone was making a nasal sound, it could be that they're not at their best or could be emotional. By doing this is changing the meaning of the sound. Although the noise stays the same, your understanding of it changes from being aggravating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate about it.
