Yuletide Often Proves to Be a Nightmare for Misophonia Sufferers.
One young woman hopes for seeing her family over the holidays, but notes a key strategy she'll cope is by relying on her hearing protection - especially during Christmas dinner.
For her, this time of year often feels like a especially challenging time as the auditory triggers of other people chewing, drinking noisily and nose-blowing cause her extremely uncomfortable.
"There's this feeling of instant dread, my entire being will just tense up and it as though I'm in danger, and I need to somehow control these triggers."
Lottie has lived with this condition from a young age and for her that makes the festive season "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to specific noises, particularly those made by those around you.
It is prevalent in the UK. Experts reported nearly 20% people suffer from it.
Often it's noises connected to bodily functions that trigger a reaction, along with things like crunching, breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
Triggering Stress
The sufferer notes: "There are so many various auditory triggers at the holidays and that can be stressful and make you fear it.
"My family are understanding, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a constant struggle of enduring my distress to make sure the event goes smoothly."
So it's easy to understand why the most wonderful period can quickly turn into a living nightmare for affected individuals.
Sounds that may be considered normal, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or eating the holiday meal can cause a visceral feeling that can even cause them avoiding social settings altogether.
The student, a young adult, who has struggled with misophonia since aged 10, explains her strategy is to put her earphones in to get through dinner. On any other day, she would usually isolate herself in a separate space to avoid problematic noises.
She explains her condition is more pronounced around people she's closest to, so the holidays is always "hard".
"People assume you to socialize with family, and I wish to, but it's draining.
"It's like this sudden rage comes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel panicked and burst into tears and then fight-or-flight will take over.
"It may seem as if I'm being oversensitive and dramatic, but it's tough to describe unless you've experienced it."
Several Strategies to Manage
If it's an issue then there are various strategies you can attempt to manage the situation, based on advice from specialists.
- Picture an Alternative: Mental imagery is essential. Attempt to link the triggering sound affecting you with an unrelated image. As an illustration, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. By doing this 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 game with the person. For example, if someone is crunching loudly have a go at mimicking the sound. Through participation, rather than feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an active participant. And the challenge should help distract your brain and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Develop a Narrative: One more method is to try to create a little story about the reason someone creating the sound is doing it. For example if someone was sniffing, maybe they are not feeling well or maybe they're upset. The idea is changing the meaning of the sound. Even though the noise stays the same, your interpretation of it moves from being aggravating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate towards it.
