Yuletide Transforms Into a Living Hell for Those with Misophonia.
A 23-year-old is looking forward to being with her relatives during the festive period, but says one of the only ways she'll endure is by wearing her hearing protection - particularly at the main festive feast.
For the 23-year-old, this time of year often feels like a especially challenging time as the auditory triggers of people eating, slurping and sniffling make her feel extremely uncomfortable.
"There's this wave of sudden panic, my entire being will just tighten and it seems as if I'm in peril, and I need to stop these sounds."
She has suffered from misophonia from a young age and for her that renders the holiday period "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to certain sounds, especially noises made by those around you.
It's surprisingly common amongst adults. A study found nearly 20% people experience it.
Typically it's sounds associated with mouth, throat or facial movements that lead to discomfort, as well as examples such as crunching, breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
A Source of Dread
Lottie says: "There are so many various auditory triggers at the holidays and that can be anxiety inducing and make you dread it.
"My family are understanding, but I'm very aware that I don't want to upset others. It's like a internal conflict of sacrificing my own sanity to ensure others enjoy themselves."
So it's clear why the traditionally happy period can quickly turn into a stressful ordeal for affected individuals.
Sounds that may appear innocuous, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, unwrapping gifts, or eating the holiday meal can cause a powerful reaction that can even lead to them skipping events entirely.
She, a 21-year-old student, who has dealt with sound sensitivity for over a decade, explains the approach she intends to use is to use headphones to manage the meal. On any other day, she would usually isolate herself in a quiet area to avoid distressing triggers.
She explains her sensitivity is more intense around people she's closest to, so the holidays is always "difficult".
"There is pressure to be around family, and I want to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"The sensation is this sudden rage washes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel panicked and immediately start crying and then fight-or-flight will activate.
"To others it appears as if I'm being unreasonable and dramatic, but it's hard to explain without firsthand experience."
Several Strategies to Handle It
If you suffer then there are various strategies you can use to handle the situation, according to clinical psychologists.
- Picture Something Else: Mental imagery is crucial. Attempt to link the particular sound bothering you with a neutral concept. As an illustration, try to picture someone's slurping is just a gentle stream. By doing this is to retrain your mind that the sound affecting you poses no threat.
- Try a Competition: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a game involving the source. For instance, if someone is eating noisily have a go at mimicking the sound. By mimicking, instead of feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an engaged person. And the competition element should help redirect your focus and make you a little less affected.
- Craft a Story: One more method is to try to create a little story about the reason someone creating the sound is having to make that sound. So if someone was making a nasal sound, maybe they are not feeling well or are troubled. The idea is altering the perception of the sound. While the sound stays the same, your reaction of it moves from being aggravating, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.
