The Holiday Season Often Proves to Be a Living Hell for Those with Misophonia.
Lottie is looking forward to spending time with her loved ones during the festive period, but says a key strategy she'll manage to get through it is by wearing her hearing protection - especially during Christmas dinner.
For her, this time of year can be a notably tough period as the noises of people eating, drinking noisily and sniffling trigger profound anxiety.
"I get this wave of immediate anxiety, my whole body will just tense up and it seems as if I'm in peril, and I need to manage these sounds."
The individual has lived with misophonia from a young age and for her that renders the festive season "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to particular auditory triggers, especially noises coming from those around you.
The condition is widespread amongst adults. Experts found a significant portion of people suffer from it.
Often it's sounds linked to bodily functions that trigger a reaction, as well as things like crunching, heavy breathing, and pen clicking.
Triggering Stress
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 supportive, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a internal conflict of enduring my distress to make sure the event goes smoothly."
So it's clear why the most wonderful time of the year can transform into a stressful ordeal for affected individuals.
Sounds that may appear innocuous, like someone sipping a beverage, unwrapping gifts, or eating the holiday meal can provoke a powerful reaction that can even cause them withdrawing from gatherings.
Jenna, a young adult, who has struggled with misophonia for over a decade, says her strategy is to use headphones to get through dinner. On any other day, she would frequently go in a quiet area to avoid problematic noises.
She says her condition is more pronounced around people she's most familiar with, so Christmas is always "difficult".
"There's an expectation to be around loved ones, and I wish to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"The sensation is this uncontrollable anger washes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel anxious and begin to weep and then the stress response will activate.
"It may seem as if I'm being difficult and dramatic, but it's tough to describe unless you've experienced it."
Three Ways to Manage
For those affected then there are a few methods you can attempt to manage the situation, based on advice from experts.
- Picture an Alternative: Creative thinking is essential. Try to associate the triggering sound bothering you with a neutral concept. As an illustration, try to picture someone's slurping is just a sink draining water. The goal is to help your brain learn that the sound affecting you isn't harmful.
- Use Humor: Use lightheartedness and turn the annoying sound into a game with the person. For example, if someone is crunching loudly try joining in. By mimicking, instead of feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an willing part. And the competition element should help shift your attention and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Develop a Narrative: A further strategy is to try to invent a reason about why the person creating the sound is doing it. So if someone was sniffing, it could be that they're not in good health or could be emotional. This approach is changing the meaning of the sound. Although the sound stays the same, your understanding of it moves from being aggravating, to feeling a little more neutral towards it.
