Yuletide Transforms Into a Terrifying Experience for Misophonia Sufferers.
Lottie hopes for spending time with her family during the festive period, but admits one of the only ways she'll cope is by using her hearing protection - particularly at the holiday meal.
For her, Christmas is a particularly difficult time as the auditory triggers of people eating, sipping loudly and nose-blowing trigger intense distress.
"I get this sensation of sudden panic, my whole body will just tighten and it seems as if I'm in peril, and I need to somehow control these sounds."
Lottie has experienced misophonia since she was 16 and for her that causes the Christmas time "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to particular auditory triggers, notably sounds coming from other people.
It's surprisingly common in the UK. Researchers discovered nearly 20% people suffer from it.
Typically it's noises associated with eating or drinking that trigger a reaction, including examples such as chewing, heavy breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
Triggering Stress
Lottie says: "You encounter so many different triggering sounds at Christmas and that can be stressful and make you want to avoid it.
"My relatives are aware, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a internal conflict of managing my symptoms to make sure everyone else is happy."
So it's easy to understand why the most wonderful season can quickly turn into a living nightmare for affected individuals.
Noises that may appear innocuous, like someone drinking champagne, unwrapping gifts, or enjoying festive food can trigger a powerful reaction that can even cause them avoiding social settings altogether.
Jenna, a 21-year-old student, who has experienced sound sensitivity from childhood, says currently her plan is to put her earphones in to cope. On any other day, she would frequently go in a different room to minimize triggering sounds.
She notes her misophonia is more pronounced around people she's most comfortable with, so the holidays is always "hard".
"There is pressure to socialize with loved ones, and I desire to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"It's like this intense irritation takes hold, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel stressed and burst into tears and then fight-or-flight will activate.
"To others it appears as if I'm being oversensitive and overreacting, but it's tough to describe unless you've experienced it."
Several Strategies to Handle It
If you suffer then there are various strategies you can try to cope the situation, based on advice from specialists.
- Picture an Alternative: Creative thinking is crucial. Attempt to link the particular sound affecting you with an unrelated image. As an illustration, try to picture someone's slurping is just a waterfall. By doing this is to teach your brain that the sound affecting you isn't harmful.
- Make it a Game: Use lightheartedness and turn the annoying sound into a competition involving the source. For instance, if someone is eating noisily have a go at copying the noise. By joining in, instead of feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an willing part. And the game aspect should help redirect your focus and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Create a Scenario: Another technique is to try to fabricate an explanation about why the person creating the sound is behaving that way. For example if someone was making a nasal sound, it could be that they're not feeling well or maybe they're upset. The idea is altering the perception of the sound. Even though the sound doesn't change, your understanding of it moves from being irritating, to feeling a little more neutral about it.
