Yuletide Transforms Into a Living Hell for Those with Misophonia.
Lottie hopes for spending time 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, Christmas can be a particularly difficult period as the auditory triggers of people eating, drinking noisily and sniffling trigger intense distress.
"There's this sensation of instant dread, my every muscle will just tense up and it feels like I'm in danger, and I need to manage these triggers."
She has suffered from this condition since she was 16 and for her that causes the Christmas time "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to particular auditory triggers, especially noises produced by other people.
It is prevalent in the UK. Researchers discovered nearly 20% people suffer from it.
Frequently it's noises linked to eating or drinking that trigger a reaction, as well as examples such as crunching, heavy breathing, and pen clicking.
A Source of Dread
She explains: "You encounter so many different triggering sounds at the holidays and that can be daunting and make you dread it.
"My relatives are understanding, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to upset others. It's like a internal conflict of managing my symptoms to guarantee everyone else is happy."
So it's clear why the traditionally happy period can rapidly become a stressful ordeal for those with the condition.
Triggers that may be considered normal, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, opening presents, or eating the holiday meal can trigger a powerful reaction that can even cause them avoiding social settings altogether.
Jenna, a university student, who has struggled with sound sensitivity for over a decade, says currently her plan is to put her earphones in to manage the meal. On any other day, she would often retreat in a quiet area to escape triggering sounds.
She explains her misophonia is more pronounced around people she's most familiar with, so Christmas is always "difficult".
"People assume you to socialize with family, and I want to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"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 dramatic, but it's tough to describe if you haven't felt it."
A Few Techniques to Cope
If you suffer then there are a few methods you can attempt to manage the situation, based on advice from experts.
- Visualise Something Else: Imagination is key. Attempt to link the particular sound bothering you with an unrelated image. So for example, try to imagine someone's slurping is just a sink draining water. The goal is to help your brain learn that the sound affecting you isn't harmful.
- Try a Competition: Use lightheartedness and make the irritating noise into a challenge with the culprit. For example, if someone is eating noisily attempt copying the noise. Through participation, instead of feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an active participant. And the competition element should help redirect your focus and make you a little less affected.
- Develop a Narrative: Another technique is to try to create a little story about why the person making the noise is doing it. For example if someone was making a nasal sound, it could be that they're not feeling well or could be emotional. By doing this is re-framing the context of the sound. While the sound remains identical, your interpretation of it changes from being irritating, to feeling a little more neutral about it.
