The Holiday Season Often Proves to Be a Living Hell for Misophonia Sufferers.
One young woman is looking forward to seeing her loved ones during the festive period, but notes a primary method she'll cope is by wearing her noise-cancelling devices - particularly at Christmas dinner.
For the 23-year-old, this time of year often feels like a particularly difficult period as the noises of other people chewing, drinking noisily and breathing heavily trigger profound anxiety.
"There's this wave of sudden panic, my entire being will just tense up and it feels like I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to stop these triggers."
The individual has lived with this condition for several years and for her that makes the Christmas time "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to particular auditory triggers, notably sounds made by those around you.
It's surprisingly common across the population. Experts discovered nearly 20% people experience it.
Frequently it's noises linked to eating or drinking that trigger a reaction, along with examples such as chewing, heavy breathing, and foot tapping.
Triggering Stress
Lottie says: "I face so many assorted problematic noises at Christmas and that can be anxiety inducing and make you fear it.
"Those close to me are supportive, but I'm very aware that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a internal conflict of enduring my distress to guarantee the event goes smoothly."
So it's clear why the supposedly joyous season can transform into a living nightmare for sufferers.
Triggers that may be considered normal, like someone drinking champagne, unwrapping gifts, or eating the holiday meal can cause a strong emotional response that can even result in them skipping events entirely.
Jenna, a young adult, who has struggled with misophonia for over a decade, says the approach she intends to use is to put her earphones in to manage the meal. Typically, she would usually isolate herself in a different room to escape distressing triggers.
She says her misophonia is more pronounced around people she's most familiar with, so Christmas is always "difficult".
"There is pressure to socialize with loved ones, and I want to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"I feel as if this sudden rage comes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel panicked and immediately start crying and then panic will kick in.
"It can come across as if I'm being difficult and dramatic, but it's hard to explain unless you've experienced it."
Three Ways to Manage
If you suffer then there are some different techniques you can try to cope the situation, based on advice from clinical psychologists.
- Visualise an Alternative: Creative thinking is crucial. Work on connecting the particular sound causing distress with something completely different. For instance, try to envision someone's slurping is just a sink draining water. By doing this is to retrain your mind that the sound triggering you is neutral.
- Use Humor: Have a bit of fun and make the irritating noise into a game involving the source. For instance, if someone is crunching loudly try joining in. Through participation, instead of feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an engaged person. And the challenge should help redirect your focus and make you a little less affected.
- Develop a Narrative: One more method is to try to fabricate an explanation about why the person creating the sound is doing it. So if someone was making a nasal sound, maybe they are not at their best or are troubled. The idea is altering the perception of the sound. Although the noise remains identical, your interpretation of it moves from being aggravating, to feeling a little more neutral towards it.