The Holiday Season Transforms Into a Nightmare for Misophonia Sufferers.
Lottie is looking forward to seeing her family over the holidays, but notes one of the only ways she'll manage to get through it is by wearing her hearing protection - notably for the holiday meal.
For the 23-year-old, this time of year often feels like a especially challenging time as the sounds of family members munching, sipping loudly and nose-blowing make her feel profound anxiety.
"There's this feeling of immediate anxiety, my entire being will just tense up and it seems as if I'm in peril, and I need to somehow control these noises."
The individual has suffered from sound sensitivity for several years and for her that renders the holiday period "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to particular auditory triggers, particularly those produced by individuals.
It is prevalent in the UK. A study found almost one in five people are affected by it.
Typically it's sounds associated with bodily functions that cause distress, including things like chewing, heavy breathing, and foot tapping.
'Anxiety Inducing'
She explains: "There are so many various auditory triggers at the holidays and that can be anxiety inducing and make you fear it.
"My family are understanding, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to upset others. It's like a really big battle of managing my symptoms to ensure others enjoy themselves."
So it's clear why the most wonderful time of the year can quickly turn into a source of agony for affected individuals.
Sounds that may be considered normal, like someone sipping a beverage, unwrapping gifts, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can cause a strong emotional response that can even result in them skipping events entirely.
Jenna, a young adult, who has dealt with sound sensitivity since aged 10, states currently her plan is to put her earphones in to cope. On any other day, she would frequently go in a quiet area to escape distressing triggers.
She says her misophonia is worse around people she's most familiar with, so Christmas is always "difficult".
"There's an expectation to socialize with family, and I desire to, but it's draining.
"The sensation is this intense irritation comes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel stressed and immediately start crying and then panic will activate.
"It may seem as if I'm being difficult and melodramatic, but it's hard to explain if you haven't felt it."
Three Ways to Manage
If it's an issue then there are various strategies you can use to handle the situation, based on advice from clinical psychologists.
- Imagine an Alternative: Mental imagery is essential. Attempt to link the specific noise affecting you with a neutral concept. So for example, try to imagine someone's slurping is just a waterfall. The goal is to help your brain learn that the sound affecting you is neutral.
- Try a Competition: Have a bit of fun and make the irritating noise into a game with the culprit. For example, if someone is eating noisily try mimicking the sound. By mimicking, instead of feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an engaged person. And the competition element should help redirect your focus and make you a little less affected.
- Craft a Story: A further strategy is to try to fabricate an explanation about why the person making the noise is doing it. For example if someone was making a nasal sound, it could be that they're not in good health or could be emotional. This approach is re-framing the context of the sound. While the sound doesn't change, your interpretation of it shifts from being aggravating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate about it.
