The Holiday Season Can Be a Nightmare for Misophonia Sufferers.
One young woman is looking forward to seeing her family over the holidays, but notes one of the only ways she'll endure is by relying on her hearing protection - especially during the holiday meal.
For the 23-year-old, the holidays often feels like a notably tough season as the noises of family members munching, slurping and sniffling trigger intense distress.
"I experience this wave of instant dread, my whole body will just tighten and it as though I'm in danger, and I need to manage these triggers."
Lottie has experienced sound sensitivity for several years and for her that renders the festive season "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to particular auditory triggers, particularly those produced by individuals.
It's surprisingly common in the UK. A study found a significant portion of people suffer from it.
Frequently it's sounds associated with mouth, throat or facial movements that lead to discomfort, as well as examples such as crunching, heavy breathing, and pen clicking.
Triggering Stress
Lottie says: "There are so many assorted problematic noises at the holidays and that can be daunting and make you dread 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 internal conflict of enduring my distress to ensure the event goes smoothly."
So it's obvious why the traditionally happy season can quickly turn into a source of agony for sufferers.
Noises that may seem harmless, like someone sipping a beverage, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can cause a powerful reaction that can even lead to them skipping events entirely.
She, a university student, who has struggled with misophonia since aged 10, explains the approach she intends to use is to listen to music to manage the meal. On any other day, she would often retreat in a separate space to minimize triggering sounds.
She explains her sensitivity is more intense around people she's most comfortable with, so the holidays is always "challenging".
"There is pressure to socialize with loved ones, and I wish to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"It's like this uncontrollable anger takes hold, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel panicked and begin to weep and then panic will take over.
"To others it appears as if I'm being unreasonable and melodramatic, but it's difficult to convey unless you've experienced it."
A Few Techniques to Manage
If you suffer then there are a few methods you can attempt to manage the situation, according to specialists.
- Picture Something Else: Imagination is crucial. Work on connecting the particular sound causing distress with something completely different. For instance, try to envision someone's noisy drinking is just a waterfall. This technique is to retrain your mind that the sound triggering you is neutral.
- Make it a Game: Use lightheartedness and make the irritating noise into a game involving the source. For example, if someone is eating noisily try copying the noise. By joining in, rather than feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an active participant. And the game aspect should help distract your brain and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Create a Scenario: Another technique is to try to fabricate an explanation about the reason someone creating the sound is behaving that way. For example if someone was sniffing, it could be that they're not in good health or could be emotional. This approach is re-framing the context of the sound. Even though the noise stays the same, your reaction of it shifts from being irritating, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.
