The Holiday Season Transforms Into a Terrifying Experience for Those with Misophonia.
Lottie is looking forward to spending time with her loved ones this Christmas, but admits a key strategy she'll manage to get through it is by relying on her hearing protection - particularly at the holiday meal.
For the 23-year-old, this time of year can be a particularly difficult time as the noises of other people chewing, drinking noisily and nose-blowing trigger intense distress.
"I experience this feeling of sudden panic, my whole body will just tighten and it as though I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to manage these sounds."
The individual has experienced misophonia since she was 16 and for her that renders the holiday period "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to certain sounds, notably sounds produced by those around you.
It is prevalent in the UK. Researchers found a significant portion of people are affected by it.
Typically it's noises associated with eating or drinking that lead to discomfort, along with things like crunching, breathing, and pen clicking.
Triggering Stress
She explains: "There are so many various auditory triggers at Christmas and that can be daunting and make you dread it.
"Those close to me are understanding, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a constant struggle of enduring my distress to make sure everyone else is happy."
So it's obvious why the most wonderful season can rapidly become a source of agony for affected individuals.
Sounds that may seem harmless, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, opening presents, or enjoying festive food can provoke a visceral feeling that can even lead to them withdrawing from gatherings.
She, a young adult, who has dealt with misophonia from childhood, states currently her plan is to put her earphones in to get through dinner. On any other day, she would frequently go in a different room to avoid problematic noises.
She says her sensitivity is worse around people she's closest to, so Christmas is always "difficult".
"There's an expectation to spend time with family, and I desire to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"The sensation is this uncontrollable anger comes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel stressed and immediately start crying and then fight-or-flight will kick in.
"It may seem as if I'm being oversensitive and melodramatic, but it's difficult to convey unless you've experienced it."
Three Ways to Handle It
If it's an issue then there are various strategies you can try to cope the situation, according to clinical psychologists.
- Picture an Alternative: Mental imagery is essential. Work on connecting the specific noise affecting you with an unrelated image. So for example, try to envision someone's slurping is just a waterfall. By doing this is to teach your brain that the sound affecting you poses no threat.
- Try a Competition: Have a bit of fun and make the irritating noise into a challenge with the culprit. As an example, if someone is crunching loudly attempt joining in. By mimicking, rather than feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an engaged person. And the challenge should help shift your attention and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Develop a Narrative: Another technique is to try to invent a reason about why the person making the noise is behaving that way. Imagine if someone was making a nasal sound, maybe they are not at their best or maybe they're upset. The idea is altering the perception of the sound. Although the noise doesn't change, your understanding of it shifts from being aggravating, to feeling a little more neutral about it.