The Holiday Season Can Be a Nightmare for Misophonia Sufferers.
Lottie is looking forward to seeing her relatives during the festive period, but admits one of the only ways she'll endure is by wearing her noise-cancelling devices - notably for the holiday meal.
For the 23-year-old, the holidays can be a especially challenging season as the sounds of people eating, slurping and breathing heavily trigger profound anxiety.
"I experience this wave of instant dread, my entire being will just tighten and it seems as if I'm in peril, and I need to somehow control these sounds."
She has lived with sound sensitivity from a young age and for her that causes the holiday period "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to certain sounds, particularly those coming from those around you.
The condition is widespread across the population. Researchers found almost one in five people are affected by it.
Typically it's noises associated with eating or drinking that cause distress, including examples such as chewing, breathing, and pen clicking.
'Anxiety Inducing'
The sufferer notes: "I face so many various auditory triggers at the holidays and that can be anxiety inducing and make you want to avoid it.
"Those close to me are understanding, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to upset others. It's like a constant struggle of sacrificing my own sanity to make sure the event goes smoothly."
So it's easy to understand why the supposedly joyous season can rapidly become a stressful ordeal for sufferers.
Sounds that may be considered normal, like someone sipping a beverage, unwrapping gifts, or eating the holiday meal can cause a strong emotional response that can even result in them skipping events entirely.
She, a university student, who has experienced sound sensitivity from childhood, explains her strategy is to put her earphones in to manage the meal. Typically, she would often retreat in a quiet area to avoid triggering sounds.
She explains her misophonia is worse around people she's most comfortable with, so the holidays is always "difficult".
"People assume you to be around family, and I desire to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"The sensation is this sudden rage comes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel anxious and burst into tears and then panic will kick in.
"It can come across as if I'm being difficult and overreacting, but it's difficult to convey without firsthand experience."
Three Ways to Manage
If you suffer then there are a few methods you can use to handle the situation, according to experts.
- Visualise a Different Scenario: Mental imagery is key. Try to associate the particular sound bothering you with something completely different. So for example, try to imagine someone's slurping is just a gentle stream. The goal is to retrain your mind that the sound triggering you is neutral.
- Try a Competition: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a game involving the source. As an example, if someone is eating noisily attempt copying the noise. Through participation, rather than feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an willing part. And the game aspect should help distract your brain and make you a little less affected.
- Craft a Story: One more method is to try to fabricate an explanation about the reason someone making the noise is having to make that sound. So if someone was sniffing, perhaps they're not feeling well or are troubled. The idea is changing the meaning of the sound. Although the noise doesn't change, your understanding of it changes from being annoying, to feeling a little more neutral about it.
