The Holiday Season Can Be a Terrifying Experience for Those with Misophonia.
Lottie is looking forward to seeing her loved ones this Christmas, but says a primary method she'll manage to get through it is by using her earplugs - notably for the holiday meal.
In her case, the holidays can be a notably tough time as the auditory triggers of family members munching, sipping loudly and sniffling trigger profound anxiety.
"I get this wave of immediate anxiety, my entire being will just tense up and it as though I'm in peril, and I need to somehow control these sounds."
Lottie has lived with misophonia for several years and for her that renders the festive season "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to certain sounds, especially noises produced by those around you.
It's surprisingly common across the population. Experts reported nearly 20% people experience it.
Frequently it's noises linked to mouth, throat or facial movements that lead to discomfort, as well as things like crunching, breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
Triggering Stress
She explains: "I face so many different triggering sounds at Christmas and that can be anxiety inducing 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 really big battle of enduring my distress to ensure the event goes smoothly."
So it's obvious why the traditionally happy season can rapidly become a living nightmare for affected individuals.
Triggers that may be considered normal, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, unwrapping gifts, or eating the holiday meal can cause a powerful reaction that can even result in them avoiding social settings altogether.
Jenna, a young adult, who has dealt with misophonia since aged 10, states her strategy is to listen to music to cope. On any other day, she would frequently go in a separate space to minimize distressing triggers.
She says her condition is more intense around people she's closest to, so Christmas is always "hard".
"There is pressure to be around loved ones, and I wish to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"The sensation is this intense irritation washes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel anxious and immediately start crying and then panic will take over.
"It can come across as if I'm being difficult and dramatic, but it's hard to explain unless you've experienced it."
A Few Techniques to Handle It
If it's an issue then there are a few methods you can use to handle the situation, according to clinical psychologists.
- Picture an Alternative: Creative thinking is essential. Try to associate the specific noise affecting you with something completely different. So for example, try to picture someone's slurping is just a sink draining water. The goal is to teach your brain that the sound affecting you poses no threat.
- Use Humor: Use lightheartedness and make the irritating noise into a game involving the source. For example, if someone is eating noisily attempt copying the noise. By joining in, rather than feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an willing part. And the challenge should help distract your brain and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Create a Scenario: A further strategy is to try to create a little story about why the person making the noise is doing it. For example if someone was making a nasal sound, perhaps they're not at their best or maybe they're upset. The idea is re-framing the context of the sound. Even though the sound remains identical, your understanding of it moves from being aggravating, to feeling a little more neutral about it.
