Yuletide Transforms Into a Terrifying Experience for Those with Misophonia.
Lottie anticipates being with her loved ones this Christmas, but says a key strategy she'll manage to get through it is by wearing her earplugs - particularly at Christmas dinner.
For her, this time of year often feels like a notably tough season as the auditory triggers of people eating, drinking noisily and breathing heavily cause her extremely uncomfortable.
"I experience this feeling of immediate anxiety, my entire being will just tense up and it as though I'm in danger, and I need to stop these noises."
She has suffered from sound sensitivity since she was 16 and for her that makes the holiday period "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to particular auditory triggers, notably sounds made by other people.
The condition is widespread in the UK. Researchers found nearly 20% people suffer from it.
Frequently it's noises linked to bodily functions that trigger a reaction, including things like chewing, breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
Triggering Stress
The sufferer notes: "You encounter so many different triggering sounds at Christmas and that can be stressful and make you fear it.
"My family are supportive, but I'm very aware that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a really big battle of managing my symptoms to guarantee others enjoy themselves."
So it's clear why the supposedly joyous period can quickly turn into a stressful ordeal for affected individuals.
Triggers that may be considered normal, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or enjoying festive food can trigger a strong emotional response that can even lead to them avoiding social settings altogether.
Jenna, a 21-year-old student, who has dealt with sound sensitivity since aged 10, says the approach she intends to use is to put her earphones in to get through dinner. On any other day, she would frequently go in a separate space to avoid problematic noises.
She says her condition is more pronounced around people she's most comfortable with, so Christmas is always "hard".
"People assume you to spend time with family, and I want to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"It's like this uncontrollable anger washes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel anxious and burst into tears and then fight-or-flight will kick in.
"It may seem as if I'm being oversensitive and dramatic, but it's hard to explain unless you've experienced it."
A Few Techniques to Cope
If you suffer then there are various strategies you can attempt to manage the situation, as suggested by experts.
- Visualise a Different Scenario: Imagination is key. Work on connecting the particular sound affecting you with a neutral concept. As an illustration, try to imagine someone's slurping is just a gentle stream. This technique is to teach your brain that the sound affecting you isn't harmful.
- Try a Competition: Have a bit of fun and make the irritating noise into a challenge with the person. As an example, if someone is crunching loudly try mimicking the sound. By mimicking, instead of feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an engaged person. And the game aspect should help distract your brain and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Develop a Narrative: One more method is to try to create a little story about why the person making the noise is doing it. For example if someone was sniffing, maybe they are not at their best or maybe they're upset. This approach is changing the meaning of the sound. While the sound stays the same, your understanding of it changes from being annoying, to feeling a slightly more compassionate about it.
