The Holiday Season Often Proves to Be a Terrifying Experience for Misophonia Sufferers.
One young woman anticipates seeing her relatives during the festive period, but notes a key strategy she'll manage to get through it is by relying on her earplugs - notably for the holiday meal.
In her case, the holidays often feels like a notably tough time as the noises of other people chewing, drinking noisily and sniffling cause her extremely uncomfortable.
"I get this wave of immediate anxiety, my whole body will just freeze and it seems as if I'm in peril, and I need to stop these noises."
Lottie has suffered from sound sensitivity for several years and for her that makes the holiday period "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to certain sounds, notably sounds coming from other people.
The condition is widespread in the UK. A study found a significant portion of people suffer from it.
Often it's noises associated with eating or drinking that cause distress, along with examples such as crunching, breathing, and foot tapping.
'Anxiety Inducing'
She explains: "There are so many assorted problematic noises at Christmas and that can be anxiety inducing and make you dread it.
"My relatives are understanding, but I'm very aware that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a really big battle of enduring my distress to guarantee the event goes smoothly."
So it's clear why the traditionally happy time of the year can quickly turn into a source of agony for affected individuals.
Noises that may appear innocuous, like someone drinking champagne, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can cause a powerful reaction that can even lead to them avoiding social settings altogether.
The student, a 21-year-old student, who has experienced sound sensitivity for over a decade, explains currently her plan is to use headphones to get through dinner. On any other day, she would often retreat in a quiet area to escape problematic noises.
She notes her sensitivity is more intense around people she's most familiar with, so the holidays is always "challenging".
"People assume you to be around loved ones, and I want to, but it's draining.
"I feel as if this intense irritation washes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel panicked and burst into tears and then fight-or-flight will take over.
"It may seem as if I'm being unreasonable and overreacting, but it's hard to explain if you haven't felt it."
Several Strategies to Cope
If it's an issue then there are a few methods you can try to cope the situation, as suggested by experts.
- Imagine Something Else: Creative thinking is essential. Attempt to link the particular sound bothering you with a neutral concept. For instance, try to picture someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. By doing this is to help your brain learn that the sound triggering you is neutral.
- Try a Competition: Have a bit of fun and turn the annoying sound into a competition with the person. As an example, if someone is crunching loudly attempt joining in. By mimicking, instead of feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an engaged person. And the game aspect should help shift your attention and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Develop a Narrative: A further strategy is to try to fabricate an explanation about why the person creating the sound is doing it. For example if someone was making a nasal sound, perhaps they're not feeling well or maybe they're upset. The idea is changing the meaning of the sound. While the sound doesn't change, your understanding of it moves from being annoying, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.
