The Holiday Season Often Proves to Be a Nightmare for Misophonia Sufferers.
Lottie hopes for seeing her relatives over the holidays, but says a key strategy she'll manage to get through it is by using her noise-cancelling devices - notably for the holiday meal.
For her, Christmas can be a especially challenging period as the noises of other people chewing, sipping loudly and sniffling trigger extremely uncomfortable.
"There's this sensation of instant dread, my entire being will just freeze and it as though I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to somehow control these triggers."
The individual has suffered from misophonia since she was 16 and for her that renders the holiday period "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to certain sounds, particularly those produced by other people.
It's surprisingly common across the population. A study discovered nearly 20% people experience it.
Typically it's sounds linked to eating or drinking that cause distress, including things like crunching, breathing, and foot tapping.
A Source of Dread
The sufferer notes: "I face so many different triggering sounds at the holidays and that can be daunting and make you fear it.
"My family are supportive, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a constant struggle of enduring my distress to make sure others enjoy themselves."
So it's obvious why the most wonderful period can rapidly become a living nightmare for those with the condition.
Sounds that may be considered normal, like someone drinking champagne, unwrapping gifts, or enjoying festive food can trigger a strong emotional response that can even lead to them avoiding social settings altogether.
She, a university student, who has experienced sound sensitivity for over a decade, states the approach she intends to use is to use headphones to cope. On any other day, she would frequently go in a quiet area to escape problematic noises.
She notes her sensitivity is more intense around people she's closest to, so the holidays is always "difficult".
"There's an expectation to be around family, and I wish to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"The sensation is this uncontrollable anger washes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel panicked and begin to weep and then fight-or-flight will activate.
"It may seem as if I'm being oversensitive and overreacting, but it's tough to describe unless you've experienced it."
A Few Techniques to Cope
If it's an issue then there are various strategies you can try to cope the situation, as suggested by experts.
- Picture a Different Scenario: Imagination is crucial. Work on connecting the particular sound bothering you with something completely different. As an illustration, try to envision someone's noisy drinking is just a sink draining water. The goal is to help your brain learn that the sound triggering you is neutral.
- Make it a Game: Introduce playfulness and turn the annoying sound into a challenge with the person. For instance, if someone is crunching loudly try copying the noise. By joining in, rather than feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an active participant. And the competition element should help redirect your focus and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Develop a Narrative: One more method is to try to invent a reason about the reason someone creating the sound is doing it. For example if someone was making a nasal sound, perhaps they're not feeling well or are troubled. This approach is changing the meaning of the sound. Although the noise doesn't change, your reaction of it shifts from being annoying, to feeling a little more neutral about it.
