The Holiday Season Transforms Into a Terrifying Experience for Those with Misophonia.
Lottie is looking forward to seeing her family over the holidays, but notes one of the only ways she'll endure is by wearing her noise-cancelling devices - particularly at the main festive feast.
In her case, the holidays often feels like a especially challenging time as the sounds of family members munching, drinking noisily and sniffling make her feel intense distress.
"I get this wave of instant dread, my every muscle will just freeze and it seems as if I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to somehow control these sounds."
She has experienced misophonia since she was 16 and for her that makes the holiday period "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to specific noises, notably sounds coming from those around you.
It is prevalent across the population. Experts discovered almost one in five people experience it.
Often it's sounds associated with bodily functions that lead to discomfort, along with examples such as crunching, heavy breathing, and pen clicking.
Triggering Stress
The sufferer notes: "There are so many different triggering sounds at the holidays and that can be stressful and make you fear it.
"Those close to me are understanding, but I'm very aware that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a internal conflict of managing my symptoms to make sure everyone else is happy."
So it's clear why the supposedly joyous season can transform into a stressful ordeal for affected individuals.
Triggers that may seem harmless, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, opening presents, or eating the holiday meal can provoke a visceral feeling that can even lead to them avoiding social settings altogether.
The student, a young adult, who has dealt with misophonia since aged 10, explains currently her plan is to put her earphones in to manage the meal. Typically, she would often retreat in a quiet area to escape triggering sounds.
She notes her condition is worse around people she's closest to, so the holidays is always "challenging".
"People assume you to socialize with family, and I wish to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"It's like this uncontrollable anger washes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel anxious and burst into tears and then panic will activate.
"It may seem as if I'm being difficult and melodramatic, but it's tough to describe without firsthand experience."
Several Strategies to Cope
If you suffer then there are a few methods you can attempt to manage the situation, according to experts.
- Visualise a Different Scenario: Creative thinking is key. Work on connecting the triggering sound bothering you with something completely different. So for example, try to picture someone's noisy drinking is just a waterfall. The goal is to retrain your mind that the sound affecting you poses no threat.
- Use Humor: Use lightheartedness and turn the annoying sound into a challenge with the culprit. For example, if someone is crunching loudly try mimicking the sound. By mimicking, rather than feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an active participant. And the competition element should help shift your attention and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Create a Scenario: A further strategy is to try to fabricate an explanation about the reason someone making the noise is behaving that way. For example if someone was sniffing, it could be that they're not at their best or are troubled. By doing this is altering the perception of the sound. Although the noise remains identical, your interpretation of it moves from being annoying, to feeling a bit more accepting towards it.
