Yuletide Transforms Into a Nightmare for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
Lottie anticipates seeing her relatives during the festive period, but notes a key strategy she'll endure is by wearing her hearing protection - notably for the holiday meal.
For the 23-year-old, this time of year often feels like a especially challenging season as the noises of other people chewing, drinking noisily and nose-blowing make her feel profound anxiety.
"There's this feeling of immediate anxiety, my whole body will just tense up and it as though I'm in peril, and I need to manage these noises."
She has lived with this condition from a young age and for her that renders the festive season "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to specific noises, particularly those produced by other people.
It is prevalent across the population. A study discovered almost one in five people experience it.
Often it's sounds linked to bodily functions that cause distress, as well as things like crunching, breathing, and pen clicking.
A Source of Dread
The sufferer notes: "I face so many assorted problematic noises at Christmas and that can be daunting and make you fear it.
"My family are aware, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a constant struggle of sacrificing my own sanity to guarantee others enjoy themselves."
So it's clear why the most wonderful time of the year can quickly turn into a source of agony for affected individuals.
Noises that may be considered normal, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, unwrapping gifts, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can provoke a visceral feeling that can even result in them avoiding social settings altogether.
She, a 21-year-old student, who has dealt with misophonia for over a decade, says currently her plan is to use headphones to get through dinner. Usually, she would often retreat in a different room to avoid distressing triggers.
She explains her misophonia is more intense around people she's most comfortable with, so Christmas is always "hard".
"People assume you to be around family, and I want to, but it's draining.
"It's like this sudden rage takes hold, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel panicked and immediately start crying and then panic will kick in.
"To others it appears as if I'm being oversensitive and dramatic, but it's difficult to convey unless you've experienced it."
A Few Techniques to Cope
If you suffer then there are some different techniques you can attempt to manage the situation, as suggested by clinical psychologists.
- Picture an Alternative: Imagination is essential. Try to associate the particular sound affecting you with a neutral concept. For instance, try to picture someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. This technique is to teach your brain that the sound triggering you is neutral.
- Try a Competition: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a challenge with the person. As an example, if someone is eating noisily attempt copying the noise. By mimicking, rather than feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an engaged person. And the challenge should help shift your attention and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Craft a Story: Another technique is to try to create a little story about the reason someone creating the sound is behaving that way. For example if someone was sniffing, it could be that they're not in good health or are troubled. By doing this is changing the meaning of the sound. Even though the noise stays the same, your interpretation of it changes from being aggravating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate about it.
