Yuletide Transforms Into a Nightmare for Those with Misophonia.
Lottie anticipates spending time with her family during the festive period, but admits a primary method she'll endure is by using her earplugs - especially during the holiday meal.
In her case, Christmas can be a especially challenging time as the sounds of people eating, sipping loudly and nose-blowing cause her extremely uncomfortable.
"I get this wave of immediate anxiety, my whole body will just freeze and it seems as if I'm in peril, and I need to stop these sounds."
The individual has suffered from sound sensitivity since she was 16 and for her that renders the festive season "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to specific noises, especially noises made by other people.
It's surprisingly common in the UK. A study discovered a significant portion of people experience it.
Often it's noises associated with bodily functions that cause distress, as well as examples such as crunching, breathing, and pen clicking.
Triggering Stress
Lottie says: "There are so many various auditory triggers at the holidays and that can be stressful and make you want to avoid it.
"My relatives are aware, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to upset others. It's like a internal conflict of managing my symptoms to guarantee the event goes smoothly."
So it's clear why the supposedly joyous season can transform into a source of agony for sufferers.
Noises that may seem harmless, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, unwrapping gifts, or eating the holiday meal can cause a powerful reaction that can even lead to them avoiding social settings altogether.
She, a university student, who has dealt with misophonia for over a decade, explains the approach she intends to use is to put her earphones in to manage the meal. On any other day, she would frequently go in a quiet area to escape triggering sounds.
She explains her condition is worse around people she's most familiar with, so the holidays is always "difficult".
"There's an expectation to spend time with family, and I wish to, but it's draining.
"It's like this sudden rage takes hold, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel anxious and burst into tears and then panic will activate.
"It can come across as if I'm being difficult and melodramatic, but it's difficult to convey without firsthand experience."
A Few Techniques to Manage
If it's an issue then there are a few methods you can attempt to manage the situation, according to clinical psychologists.
- Visualise a Different Scenario: Mental imagery is key. Attempt to link the specific noise bothering you with something completely different. As an illustration, try to picture someone's slurping is just a gentle stream. This technique is to retrain your mind that the sound triggering you is neutral.
- Try a Competition: Use lightheartedness and make the irritating noise into a challenge involving the source. For instance, if someone is crunching loudly attempt copying the noise. By joining in, rather than feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an active participant. And the challenge should help distract your brain and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Create a Scenario: A further strategy is to try to create a little story about the reason someone creating the sound is behaving that way. For example if someone was sniffing, maybe they are not in good health or are troubled. By doing this is altering the perception of the sound. Although the sound doesn't change, your understanding of it changes from being aggravating, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.