Christmas Often Proves to Be a Living Hell for Misophonia Sufferers.
One young woman hopes for being with her family over the holidays, but notes one of the only ways she'll cope is by using her hearing protection - particularly at the holiday meal.
In her case, Christmas is a particularly difficult time as the sounds of other people chewing, sipping loudly and breathing heavily cause her intense distress.
"I experience this feeling of instant dread, my every muscle will just tighten and it seems as if I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to somehow control these noises."
Lottie has experienced sound sensitivity from a young age and for her that makes the Christmas time "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to specific noises, particularly those made by those around you.
It's surprisingly common across the population. A study reported almost one in five people suffer from it.
Typically it's sounds connected to mouth, throat or facial movements that cause distress, including things like chewing, heavy breathing, and foot tapping.
Triggering Stress
She explains: "You encounter so many various auditory triggers at the holidays and that can be stressful and make you dread it.
"Those close to me are understanding, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a constant struggle of sacrificing my own sanity to guarantee the event goes smoothly."
So it's clear why the most wonderful season can transform into a living nightmare for affected individuals.
Noises that may seem harmless, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, opening presents, or enjoying festive food can trigger a powerful reaction that can even result in them avoiding social settings altogether.
Jenna, a young adult, who has dealt with sound sensitivity since aged 10, says her strategy is to put her earphones in to manage the meal. On any other day, she would frequently go in a quiet area to minimize triggering sounds.
She says her misophonia is more pronounced around people she's most familiar with, so the holidays is always "hard".
"There's an expectation to socialize with family, and I wish to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"I feel as if this intense irritation comes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel stressed and immediately start crying and then the stress response will take over.
"It can come across as if I'm being oversensitive and overreacting, but it's difficult to convey unless you've experienced it."
A Few Techniques to Handle It
For those affected then there are some different techniques you can try to cope the situation, as suggested by experts.
- Picture Something Else: Creative thinking is essential. Work on connecting the triggering sound causing distress with a neutral concept. As an illustration, try to picture someone's slurping is just a sink draining water. The goal is to help your brain learn that the sound triggering you poses no threat.
- Use Humor: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a competition involving the source. For example, if someone is crunching loudly have a go at mimicking the sound. By joining in, instead of feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an willing part. And the challenge should help redirect your focus and make you a little less affected.
- Develop a Narrative: A further strategy is to try to invent a reason about why the person making the noise is having to make that sound. For example if someone was making a nasal sound, it could be that they're not in good health or are troubled. By doing this is changing the meaning of the sound. While the sound doesn't change, your understanding of it shifts from being irritating, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.
