Yuletide Can Be a Nightmare for Misophonia Sufferers.
Lottie is looking forward to seeing her family over the holidays, but says a primary method she'll endure is by using her earplugs - especially during the holiday meal.
For her, the holidays is a especially challenging season as the noises of family members munching, sipping loudly and breathing heavily make her feel extremely uncomfortable.
"I get this feeling of instant dread, my every muscle will just tense up and it feels like I'm in peril, and I need to somehow control these noises."
She has lived with this condition since she was 16 and for her that causes the holiday period "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to specific noises, notably sounds coming from other people.
It is prevalent amongst adults. Researchers discovered nearly 20% people experience it.
Often it's noises connected to bodily functions that trigger a reaction, as well as examples such as crunching, breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
Triggering Stress
The sufferer notes: "I face so many different triggering sounds at the holidays and that can be anxiety inducing and make you fear it.
"Those close to me are aware, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to upset others. It's like a constant struggle of enduring my distress to guarantee the event goes smoothly."
So it's clear why the most wonderful period can transform into a source of agony for sufferers.
Sounds that may seem harmless, like someone sipping a beverage, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or eating the holiday meal can provoke a strong emotional response that can even cause them skipping events entirely.
She, a young adult, who has struggled with sound sensitivity since aged 10, explains currently her plan is to use headphones to get through dinner. On any other day, she would usually isolate herself in a quiet area to minimize distressing triggers.
She explains her sensitivity is more intense around people she's most familiar with, so the holidays is always "hard".
"There's an expectation to socialize with loved ones, and I desire to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"It's like this intense irritation washes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel panicked and immediately start crying and then the stress response will kick in.
"It can come across as if I'm being unreasonable and overreacting, but it's hard to explain if you haven't felt it."
Several Strategies to Manage
If it's an issue then there are various strategies you can attempt to manage the situation, as suggested by clinical psychologists.
- Imagine Something Else: Imagination is essential. Work on connecting the particular sound affecting you with an unrelated image. For instance, try to envision someone's slurping is just a waterfall. This technique is to teach your brain that the sound triggering you is neutral.
- Make it a Game: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a competition with the person. For instance, if someone is crunching loudly try mimicking the sound. By mimicking, instead of feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an active participant. And the competition element should help shift your attention and make you a little less affected.
- Craft a Story: Another technique is to try to invent a reason about the reason someone creating the sound is having to make that sound. So if someone was sniffing, it could be that they're not at their best or could be emotional. This approach is re-framing the context of the sound. While the noise doesn't change, your interpretation of it moves from being aggravating, to feeling a little more neutral towards it.
