Christmas Often Proves to Be a Nightmare for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
Lottie anticipates spending time with her relatives during the festive period, but notes one of the only ways she'll manage to get through it is by using her noise-cancelling devices - notably for Christmas dinner.
For her, Christmas often feels like a notably tough period as the auditory triggers of family members munching, slurping and breathing heavily trigger extremely uncomfortable.
"I experience this feeling of sudden panic, my every muscle will just tighten and it feels like I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to somehow control these triggers."
Lottie has lived with misophonia from a young age and for her that causes the holiday period "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to specific noises, notably sounds produced by individuals.
It's surprisingly common in the UK. A study discovered a significant portion of people experience it.
Often it's sounds linked to eating or drinking that lead to discomfort, as well as examples such as chewing, heavy breathing, and pen clicking.
Triggering Stress
She explains: "You encounter so many different triggering sounds at the holidays and that can be anxiety inducing and make you fear it.
"Those close to me are supportive, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a internal conflict of managing my symptoms to guarantee the event goes smoothly."
So it's easy to understand why the most wonderful time of the year can rapidly become a stressful ordeal for those with the condition.
Sounds that may appear innocuous, like someone sipping a beverage, opening presents, or enjoying festive food can cause a visceral feeling that can even lead to them withdrawing from gatherings.
The student, a university student, who has struggled with misophonia from childhood, explains the approach she intends to use is to listen to music to manage the meal. On any other day, she would usually isolate herself in a different room to minimize problematic noises.
She says her misophonia is more pronounced around people she's most comfortable with, so the holidays is always "hard".
"There is pressure to spend time with loved ones, and I want to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"The sensation is this uncontrollable anger takes hold, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel anxious and burst into tears and then panic will activate.
"To others it appears as if I'm being difficult and melodramatic, but it's tough to describe if you haven't felt it."
Three Ways to Handle It
If you suffer then there are some different techniques you can try to cope the situation, based on advice from experts.
- Visualise Something Else: Imagination is key. Work on connecting the particular sound bothering you with a neutral concept. As an illustration, try to envision someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. The goal is to retrain your mind that the sound triggering you is neutral.
- Make it a Game: Have a bit of fun and turn the annoying sound into a challenge with the person. For instance, if someone is eating noisily have a go at mimicking the sound. By joining in, instead of feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an willing part. And the game aspect should help redirect your focus and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Develop a Narrative: One more method is to try to invent a reason about why the person making the noise is having to make that sound. Imagine if someone was sniffing, perhaps they're not in good health or maybe they're upset. This approach is altering the perception of the sound. While the noise stays the same, your interpretation of it changes from being irritating, to feeling a bit more accepting towards it.
