The Holiday Season Transforms Into a Living Hell for Misophonia Sufferers.
A 23-year-old is looking forward to being with her family during the festive period, but notes one of the only ways she'll cope is by using her noise-cancelling devices - particularly at Christmas dinner.
For the 23-year-old, this time of year is a notably tough time as the auditory triggers of family members munching, drinking noisily and nose-blowing trigger extremely uncomfortable.
"I experience this sensation of sudden panic, my entire being will just tense up and it feels like I'm in danger, and I need to manage these sounds."
Lottie has suffered from misophonia since she was 16 and for her that causes the holiday period "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to particular auditory triggers, notably sounds coming from those around you.
It is prevalent across the population. Experts reported almost one in five people suffer from it.
Frequently it's noises linked to eating or drinking that lead to discomfort, along with examples such as crunching, heavy breathing, and foot tapping.
A Source of Dread
Lottie says: "I face so many various auditory triggers at Christmas and that can be daunting and make you dread it.
"Those close to me are aware, but I'm very aware that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a really big battle of sacrificing my own sanity to guarantee others enjoy themselves."
So it's easy to understand why the supposedly joyous season can rapidly become a source of agony for those with the condition.
Triggers that may be considered normal, like someone sipping a beverage, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or enjoying festive food can cause a powerful reaction that can even lead to them avoiding social settings altogether.
The student, a 21-year-old student, who has struggled with sound sensitivity since aged 10, says the approach she intends to use is to listen to music to get through dinner. On any other day, she would often retreat in a separate space to minimize triggering sounds.
She notes her condition is more intense around people she's most familiar with, so Christmas is always "difficult".
"There is pressure to spend time with loved ones, and I wish to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"I feel as if this sudden rage comes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel panicked and begin to weep and then panic will kick in.
"To others it appears as if I'm being difficult and dramatic, but it's hard to explain unless you've experienced it."
Several Strategies to Cope
If you suffer then there are a few methods you can attempt to manage the situation, based on advice from experts.
- Visualise a Different Scenario: Mental imagery is key. Work on connecting the particular sound causing distress with a neutral concept. So for example, try to envision someone's noisy drinking is just a sink draining water. This technique is to teach your brain that the sound triggering you poses no threat.
- Try a Competition: Use lightheartedness and make the irritating noise into a game with the culprit. For example, if someone is crunching loudly try joining in. By joining in, instead of feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an active participant. And the game aspect should help distract your brain and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Craft a Story: One more method is to try to invent a reason about why the person creating the sound is behaving that way. So if someone was sniffing, perhaps they're not in good health or could be emotional. The idea is changing the meaning of the sound. Although the noise doesn't change, your interpretation of it changes from being irritating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate towards it.