Christmas Can Be a Living Hell for Misophonia Sufferers.
Lottie hopes for spending time with her loved ones during the festive period, but notes one of the only ways she'll manage to get through it is by relying on her hearing protection - particularly at Christmas dinner.
In her case, this time of year often feels like a especially challenging time as the sounds of family members munching, sipping loudly and sniffling make her feel profound anxiety.
"I experience this wave of sudden panic, my every muscle will just tense up and it seems as if I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to stop these sounds."
Lottie has lived with sound sensitivity for several years and for her that renders the festive season "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to certain sounds, especially noises made by individuals.
It's surprisingly common in the UK. Experts found almost one in five people are affected by it.
Typically it's noises associated with bodily functions that lead to discomfort, as well as things like crunching, breathing, and pen clicking.
A Source of Dread
She explains: "I face so many different triggering sounds at Christmas and that can be stressful and make you want to avoid it.
"Those close to me 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 enduring my distress to make sure everyone else is happy."
So it's clear why the most wonderful season can transform into a source of agony for affected individuals.
Triggers that may appear innocuous, like someone drinking champagne, opening presents, or enjoying festive food can provoke a visceral feeling that can even lead to them avoiding social settings altogether.
Jenna, a young adult, who has experienced misophonia for over a decade, states her strategy is to use headphones to cope. On any other day, she would usually isolate herself in a different room to avoid triggering sounds.
She says her sensitivity is worse around people she's closest to, so Christmas is always "hard".
"There is pressure to be around family, and I wish to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"I feel as if this intense irritation washes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel panicked and immediately start crying and then panic will kick in.
"It can come across as if I'm being unreasonable and dramatic, but it's difficult to convey if you haven't felt it."
Several Strategies to Handle It
If it's an issue then there are a few methods you can use to handle the situation, based on advice from clinical psychologists.
- Visualise a Different Scenario: Imagination is key. Work on connecting the particular sound affecting you with something completely different. For instance, try to envision someone's noisy drinking is just a waterfall. This technique is to help your brain learn that the sound affecting you poses no threat.
- Try a Competition: Use lightheartedness and turn the annoying sound into a competition with the culprit. For instance, if someone is eating noisily try joining in. By mimicking, rather than feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an engaged person. And the game aspect should help redirect your focus and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Develop a Narrative: A further strategy is to try to fabricate an explanation about why the person making the noise is behaving that way. Imagine if someone was sniffing, perhaps they're not in good health or maybe they're upset. By doing this is re-framing the context of the sound. Even though the noise stays the same, your understanding of it changes from being aggravating, to feeling a little more neutral towards it.
