Christmas Transforms Into a Living Hell for Misophonia Sufferers.
A 23-year-old hopes for seeing her family over the holidays, but says a primary method she'll endure is by relying on her hearing protection - particularly at Christmas dinner.
For her, Christmas is a particularly difficult time as the sounds of other people chewing, drinking noisily and sniffling trigger profound anxiety.
"There's this sensation of immediate anxiety, my every muscle will just freeze and it as though I'm in danger, and I need to somehow control these sounds."
Lottie has lived with sound sensitivity for several years and for her that makes the festive season "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to specific noises, particularly those produced by other people.
It's surprisingly common in the UK. Experts found almost one in five people experience it.
Typically it's sounds connected to bodily functions that trigger a reaction, as well as examples such as chewing, heavy breathing, and pen clicking.
A Source of Dread
Lottie says: "There are so many different triggering sounds at Christmas and that can be anxiety inducing and make you want to avoid it.
"My family are understanding, but I'm very aware that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a really big battle of sacrificing my own sanity to ensure everyone else is happy."
So it's obvious why the most wonderful period can transform into a living nightmare for sufferers.
Sounds that may appear innocuous, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or eating the holiday meal can cause a powerful reaction that can even cause them skipping events entirely.
She, a university student, who has experienced sound sensitivity from childhood, says her strategy is to listen to music to cope. Usually, she would often retreat in a separate space to avoid problematic noises.
She explains her misophonia is worse around people she's most comfortable with, so Christmas is always "challenging".
"There is pressure to spend time with loved ones, and I want to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"The sensation is this sudden rage comes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel stressed and immediately start crying and then panic will take over.
"To others it appears as if I'm being oversensitive and dramatic, but it's hard to explain unless you've experienced it."
Three Ways to Cope
For those affected then there are various strategies you can use to handle the situation, based on advice from clinical psychologists.
- Visualise Something Else: Imagination is crucial. Attempt to link the triggering sound causing distress with an unrelated image. For instance, try to envision someone's slurping is just a waterfall. This technique is to help your brain learn that the sound affecting you is neutral.
- Use Humor: Use lightheartedness and make the irritating noise into a game involving the source. For instance, if someone is crunching loudly attempt mimicking the sound. Through participation, rather than feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an active participant. And the challenge should help distract your brain and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Craft a Story: A further strategy is to try to fabricate an explanation about the reason someone creating the sound is having to make that sound. For example if someone was making a nasal sound, maybe they are not feeling well or maybe they're upset. By doing this is changing the meaning of the sound. Even though the sound doesn't change, your interpretation of it changes from being aggravating, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.
