Yuletide Can Be a Nightmare for Misophonia Sufferers.
Lottie anticipates seeing her loved ones during the festive period, but says a primary method she'll cope is by relying on her earplugs - notably for Christmas dinner.
For her, this time of year is a particularly difficult season as the auditory triggers of people eating, drinking noisily and nose-blowing cause her intense distress.
"There's this sensation of sudden panic, my whole body will just freeze and it as though I'm in danger, and I need to stop these triggers."
She has experienced this condition since she was 16 and for her that makes the holiday period "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to specific noises, particularly those coming from individuals.
The condition is widespread in the UK. Experts discovered a significant portion of people experience it.
Frequently it's noises associated with mouth, throat or facial movements that trigger a reaction, as well as examples such as chewing, breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
A Source of Dread
Lottie says: "I face so many assorted problematic noises at the holidays and that can be stressful and make you dread it.
"My family are supportive, but I'm very aware that I don't want to upset others. It's like a constant struggle of sacrificing my own sanity to make sure everyone else is happy."
So it's easy to understand why the traditionally happy period can rapidly become a living nightmare for affected individuals.
Sounds that may seem harmless, like someone drinking champagne, unwrapping gifts, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can trigger a strong emotional response that can even cause them withdrawing from gatherings.
Jenna, a young adult, who has experienced sound sensitivity since aged 10, explains the approach she intends to use is to listen to music to cope. Typically, she would often retreat in a different room to avoid triggering sounds.
She says her sensitivity is worse around people she's most comfortable with, so the holidays is always "difficult".
"People assume you to socialize with loved ones, and I want to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"I feel as if this intense irritation washes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel anxious and burst into tears and then fight-or-flight will kick in.
"To others it appears as if I'm being unreasonable and dramatic, but it's hard to explain without firsthand experience."
A Few Techniques to Cope
If it's an issue then there are various strategies you can try to cope the situation, based on advice from specialists.
- Picture an Alternative: Imagination is key. Work on connecting the particular sound causing distress with a neutral concept. For instance, try to envision someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. This technique is to teach your brain that the sound affecting you isn't harmful.
- Try a Competition: Have a bit of fun and make the irritating noise into a game involving the source. For instance, if someone is eating noisily try copying the noise. By joining in, instead of feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an willing part. And the challenge should help shift your attention and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Create a Scenario: One more method is to try to fabricate an explanation about the reason someone making the noise is doing it. For example if someone was making a nasal sound, it could be that they're not in good health or maybe they're upset. The idea is changing the meaning of the sound. Even though the sound stays the same, your interpretation of it moves from being irritating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate towards it.
