Christmas Can Be a Nightmare for Those with Misophonia.
One young woman is looking forward to being with her loved ones during the festive period, but says a primary method she'll cope is by relying on her noise-cancelling devices - particularly at Christmas dinner.
For her, this time of year is a especially challenging time as the noises of people eating, slurping and sniffling trigger extremely uncomfortable.
"There's this sensation of immediate anxiety, my entire being will just tighten and it as though I'm in peril, and I need to manage these triggers."
The individual has suffered from sound sensitivity since she was 16 and for her that renders the festive season "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to particular auditory triggers, notably sounds coming from individuals.
The condition is widespread across the population. Researchers discovered a significant portion of people suffer from it.
Often it's sounds associated with mouth, throat or facial movements that trigger a reaction, including examples such as crunching, heavy breathing, and pen clicking.
Triggering Stress
Lottie says: "There are so many various auditory triggers at Christmas and that can be daunting and make you want to avoid it.
"My family are understanding, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a internal conflict of enduring my distress to guarantee everyone else is happy."
So it's obvious why the most wonderful time of the year can rapidly become a source of agony for affected individuals.
Sounds that may be considered normal, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can provoke a strong emotional response that can even lead to them avoiding social settings altogether.
She, a university student, who has dealt with sound sensitivity since aged 10, states her strategy is to listen to music to get through dinner. Usually, she would frequently go in a different room to avoid triggering sounds.
She says her condition is worse around people she's closest to, so Christmas is always "challenging".
"There is pressure to be around loved ones, and I want to, but it's draining.
"I feel as if this uncontrollable anger comes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel stressed and immediately start crying and then the stress response will take over.
"To others it appears as if I'm being oversensitive and melodramatic, but it's tough to describe without firsthand experience."
Three Ways to Manage
If it's an issue then there are some different techniques you can try to cope the situation, based on advice from clinical psychologists.
- Picture a Different Scenario: Imagination is crucial. Attempt to link the triggering sound bothering you with something completely different. For instance, try to envision someone's noisy drinking is just a sink draining water. By doing this is to help your brain learn that the sound affecting you is neutral.
- Try a Competition: Have a bit of fun and turn the annoying sound into a competition involving the source. For example, if someone is crunching loudly have a go at joining in. Through participation, instead of feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an willing part. And the competition element should help redirect your focus and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Develop a Narrative: A further strategy is to try to create a little story about why the person making the noise is doing it. Imagine if someone was making a nasal sound, it could be that they're not in good health or could be emotional. This approach is altering the perception of the sound. Although the sound stays the same, your understanding of it changes from being irritating, to feeling a little more neutral about it.
