Yuletide Often Proves to Be a Nightmare for Misophonia Sufferers.
One young woman hopes for seeing her relatives this Christmas, but admits one of the only ways she'll manage to get through it is by using her noise-cancelling devices - especially during the holiday meal.
For her, Christmas can be a especially challenging time as the auditory triggers of other people chewing, slurping and nose-blowing make her feel profound anxiety.
"I experience this wave of sudden panic, my entire being will just freeze and it as though I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to somehow control these noises."
She has suffered from misophonia since she was 16 and for her that causes the holiday period "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to specific noises, especially noises produced by individuals.
The condition is widespread in the UK. Experts reported almost one in five people suffer from it.
Frequently it's noises connected to mouth, throat or facial movements that trigger a reaction, including examples such as crunching, breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
'Anxiety Inducing'
Lottie says: "I face so many different triggering sounds at the holidays and that can be stressful and make you dread it.
"My relatives are aware, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to upset others. It's like a constant struggle of sacrificing my own sanity to make sure others enjoy themselves."
So it's obvious why the traditionally happy time of the year can transform into a source of agony for those with the condition.
Noises that may seem harmless, like someone drinking champagne, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can trigger a powerful reaction that can even result in them avoiding social settings altogether.
Jenna, a 21-year-old student, who has dealt with misophonia since aged 10, explains her strategy is to use headphones to cope. On any other day, she would often retreat in a separate space to escape triggering sounds.
She says her sensitivity is worse around people she's most familiar with, so the holidays is always "difficult".
"People assume you to spend time with loved ones, and I wish to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"I feel as if this sudden rage takes hold, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel stressed and immediately start crying and then the stress response will take over.
"It can come across as if I'm being unreasonable and dramatic, but it's difficult to convey without firsthand experience."
Three Ways to Handle It
If it's an issue then there are various strategies you can try to cope the situation, based on advice from clinical psychologists.
- Visualise Something Else: Creative thinking is key. Try to associate the specific noise bothering you with a neutral concept. So for example, try to imagine someone's slurping is just a waterfall. By doing this is to help your brain learn that the sound triggering you is neutral.
- Use Humor: Have a bit of fun and turn the annoying sound into a competition with the person. For example, if someone is crunching loudly try joining in. By mimicking, instead of feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an active participant. And the challenge should help distract your brain and make you a little less affected.
- Develop a Narrative: One more method is to try to create a little story about why the person making the noise is having to make that sound. For example if someone was making a nasal sound, perhaps they're not at their best or are troubled. By doing this is changing the meaning of the sound. Even though the noise stays the same, your understanding of it changes from being irritating, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.