The Holiday Season Often Proves to Be a Nightmare for Those with Misophonia.
One young woman anticipates seeing her loved ones during the festive period, but says a key strategy she'll endure is by wearing her hearing protection - notably for the holiday meal.
For her, Christmas is a particularly difficult time as the noises of people eating, drinking noisily and breathing heavily cause her extremely uncomfortable.
"I get this feeling of instant dread, my whole body will just tense up and it as though I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to somehow control these noises."
Lottie has lived with this condition from a young age and for her that makes the festive season "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to certain sounds, particularly those coming from individuals.
It is prevalent amongst adults. Experts reported a significant portion of people experience it.
Frequently it's sounds linked to eating or drinking that trigger a reaction, as well as things like chewing, heavy breathing, and pen clicking.
Triggering Stress
Lottie says: "You encounter so many different triggering sounds at the holidays and that can be daunting and make you fear it.
"My relatives are understanding, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a constant struggle of sacrificing my own sanity to guarantee the event goes smoothly."
So it's obvious why the most wonderful season can rapidly become a stressful ordeal for affected individuals.
Triggers that may seem harmless, like someone sipping a beverage, unwrapping gifts, or eating the holiday meal can provoke a strong emotional response that can even lead to them skipping events entirely.
The student, a university student, who has dealt with sound sensitivity for over a decade, states her strategy is to put her earphones in to get through dinner. Typically, she would often retreat in a separate space to avoid triggering sounds.
She says her misophonia is more pronounced around people she's most familiar with, so Christmas is always "hard".
"There's an expectation to spend time with loved ones, and I want to, but it's draining.
"The sensation is this sudden rage washes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel panicked and burst into tears and then fight-or-flight will kick in.
"It can come across as if I'm being oversensitive and overreacting, but it's tough to describe if you haven't felt it."
Three Ways to Manage
If you suffer then there are a few methods you can attempt to manage the situation, based on advice from experts.
- Picture an Alternative: Mental imagery is crucial. Work on connecting the triggering sound causing distress with an unrelated image. So for example, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a sink draining water. This technique is to teach your brain that the sound affecting you is neutral.
- Make it a Game: Use lightheartedness and make the irritating noise into a challenge involving the source. For instance, if someone is crunching loudly try copying the noise. By mimicking, instead of feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an active participant. And the game aspect should help redirect your focus and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Craft a Story: One more method is to try to invent a reason about why the person making the noise is having to make that sound. So if someone was making a nasal sound, it could be that they're not feeling well or are troubled. The idea is altering the perception of the sound. Although the noise doesn't change, your interpretation of it shifts from being annoying, to feeling a slightly more compassionate towards it.
