The Holiday Season Transforms Into a Terrifying Experience for Misophonia Sufferers.
Lottie anticipates seeing her loved ones this Christmas, but says a primary method she'll cope is by wearing her earplugs - notably for the main festive feast.
For the 23-year-old, this time of year often feels like a particularly difficult time as the noises of other people chewing, slurping and breathing heavily make her feel intense distress.
"There's this feeling of sudden panic, my entire being will just tense up and it feels like I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to somehow control these triggers."
The individual has experienced sound sensitivity from a young age and for her that causes the Christmas time "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to particular auditory triggers, notably sounds coming from those around you.
The condition is widespread in the UK. Experts reported nearly 20% people are affected by it.
Often it's sounds connected to mouth, throat or facial movements that lead to discomfort, along with things like chewing, breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
Triggering Stress
She explains: "There are so many various auditory triggers at the holidays and that can be anxiety inducing and make you fear it.
"My family are understanding, 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 the event goes smoothly."
So it's obvious why the traditionally happy time of the year can rapidly become a stressful ordeal for those with the condition.
Noises that may be considered normal, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, opening presents, or enjoying festive food can cause a powerful reaction that can even result in them withdrawing from gatherings.
She, a 21-year-old student, who has experienced sound sensitivity for over a decade, says the approach she intends to use is to listen to music to cope. On any other day, she would usually isolate herself in a different room to minimize problematic noises.
She explains her sensitivity is more intense around people she's most familiar with, so Christmas is always "difficult".
"There is pressure to socialize with family, and I desire to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"I feel as if this intense irritation comes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel stressed and begin to weep and then the stress response will activate.
"To others it appears as if I'm being difficult and melodramatic, but it's difficult to convey unless you've experienced it."
Three Ways to Handle It
If you suffer then there are some different techniques you can attempt to manage the situation, as suggested by specialists.
- Picture an Alternative: Creative thinking is key. Work on connecting the triggering sound affecting you with a neutral concept. As an illustration, try to picture someone's slurping is just a sink draining water. By doing this is to teach your brain that the sound triggering you is neutral.
- Try a Competition: Have a bit of fun and turn the annoying sound into a competition with the culprit. For instance, if someone is crunching loudly try joining in. By mimicking, rather than feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an engaged person. And the game aspect should help distract your brain and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Create a Scenario: One more method is to try to fabricate an explanation about why the person making the noise is doing it. So if someone was making a nasal sound, perhaps they're not in good health or could be emotional. By doing this is changing the meaning of the sound. Even though the sound stays the same, your interpretation of it moves from being aggravating, to feeling a little more neutral about it.
