Christmas Often Proves to Be a Living Hell for Those with Misophonia.
Lottie anticipates being with her loved ones during the festive period, but notes one of the only ways she'll cope is by using her noise-cancelling devices - particularly at the main festive feast.
For the 23-year-old, this time of year often feels like a notably tough period as the auditory triggers of family members munching, drinking noisily and breathing heavily make her feel profound anxiety.
"There's this feeling of instant dread, my entire being will just tighten and it feels like I'm in peril, and I need to somehow control these sounds."
The individual has suffered from this condition since she was 16 and for her that causes the holiday period "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to particular auditory triggers, particularly those coming from individuals.
The condition is widespread across the population. Experts discovered a significant portion of people experience it.
Frequently it's sounds linked to mouth, throat or facial movements that lead to discomfort, along with examples such as crunching, heavy breathing, and pen clicking.
'Anxiety Inducing'
Lottie says: "I face so many different triggering sounds at the holidays and that can be daunting and make you fear it.
"Those close to me are supportive, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a constant struggle of enduring my distress to make sure others enjoy themselves."
So it's clear why the traditionally happy period can rapidly become a source of agony for those with the condition.
Triggers that may appear innocuous, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, opening presents, or eating the holiday meal can cause a powerful reaction that can even result in them skipping events entirely.
Jenna, a 21-year-old student, who has experienced misophonia for over a decade, states the approach she intends to use is to use headphones to get through dinner. On any other day, she would usually isolate herself in a quiet area to avoid problematic noises.
She explains her misophonia is more pronounced around people she's most familiar with, so Christmas is always "hard".
"People assume you to be around loved ones, and I wish to, but it's draining.
"The sensation is this uncontrollable anger comes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel stressed and burst into tears and then panic will activate.
"It may seem as if I'm being unreasonable and melodramatic, but it's tough to describe without firsthand experience."
Several Strategies to Cope
If you suffer then there are various strategies you can use to handle the situation, according to clinical psychologists.
- Visualise Something Else: Mental imagery is key. Attempt to link the particular sound causing distress with a neutral concept. As an illustration, try to picture someone's slurping is just a sink draining water. This technique is to retrain your mind that the sound triggering you poses no threat.
- Try a Competition: Have a bit of fun and turn the annoying sound into a challenge with the culprit. As an example, if someone is crunching loudly try copying the noise. Through participation, rather than feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an willing part. And the challenge should help distract your brain and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Craft a Story: A further strategy is to try to create a little story about why the person creating the sound is having to make that sound. For example if someone was sniffing, perhaps they're not in good health or maybe they're upset. This approach is altering the perception of the sound. Although the noise doesn't change, your interpretation of it changes from being annoying, to feeling a bit more accepting towards it.
