Christmas Transforms Into a Terrifying Experience for Those with Misophonia.
One young woman is looking forward to being with her relatives over the holidays, but says a key strategy she'll endure is by relying on her noise-cancelling devices - notably for Christmas dinner.
In her case, the holidays can be a particularly difficult season as the sounds of people eating, drinking noisily and sniffling trigger extremely uncomfortable.
"I experience this feeling of immediate anxiety, my whole body will just tense up and it feels like I'm in peril, and I need to manage these sounds."
She has suffered from misophonia from a young age and for her that makes the festive season "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to particular auditory triggers, notably sounds produced by those around you.
The condition is widespread in the UK. A study reported nearly 20% people experience it.
Often it's noises connected to bodily functions that trigger a reaction, including things like chewing, heavy breathing, and pen clicking.
A Source of Dread
Lottie says: "There are so many different triggering sounds at Christmas and that can be stressful and make you dread it.
"My family are aware, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a constant struggle of sacrificing my own sanity to guarantee others enjoy themselves."
So it's easy to understand why the traditionally happy period can rapidly become a source of agony for affected individuals.
Triggers that may appear innocuous, like someone drinking champagne, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can cause a visceral feeling that can even lead to them skipping events entirely.
She, a 21-year-old student, who has dealt with misophonia from childhood, says currently her plan is to listen to music to get through dinner. Typically, she would usually isolate herself in a quiet area to escape distressing triggers.
She says her condition is more intense around people she's most familiar with, so the holidays is always "challenging".
"There's an expectation to socialize with loved ones, and I wish to, but it's draining.
"It's like this intense irritation takes hold, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel panicked and burst into tears and then panic will activate.
"It can come across as if I'm being difficult and dramatic, but it's tough to describe if you haven't felt it."
Several Strategies to Manage
For those affected then there are a few methods you can try to cope the situation, according to specialists.
- Imagine an Alternative: Creative thinking is essential. Work on connecting the triggering sound bothering you with a neutral concept. As an illustration, try to envision someone's noisy drinking is just a sink draining water. By doing this is to retrain your mind that the sound triggering you is neutral.
- Make it a Game: Have a bit of fun and make the irritating noise into a challenge with the person. As an example, if someone is eating noisily attempt joining in. By joining in, instead of feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an engaged person. And the challenge should help redirect your focus and make you a little less affected.
- Craft a Story: One more method is to try to create a little story about why the person creating the sound is behaving that way. Imagine if someone was making a nasal sound, it could be that they're not feeling well or maybe they're upset. By doing this is changing the meaning of the sound. Although the sound doesn't change, your interpretation of it changes from being aggravating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate about it.
