Christmas Transforms Into a Living Hell for Those with Misophonia.
One young woman hopes for spending time with her loved ones this Christmas, but notes a key strategy she'll endure is by wearing her earplugs - especially during Christmas dinner.
For her, the holidays is a especially challenging period as the noises of people eating, drinking noisily and sniffling trigger extremely uncomfortable.
"I get this sensation of immediate anxiety, my whole body will just tighten and it seems as if I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to stop these triggers."
Lottie has experienced this condition since she was 16 and for her that renders the festive season "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to particular auditory triggers, particularly those coming from individuals.
It's surprisingly common across the population. Researchers discovered nearly 20% people experience it.
Often it's sounds linked to bodily functions that cause distress, including examples such as crunching, heavy breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
A Source of Dread
Lottie says: "There are so many different triggering sounds at Christmas and that can be anxiety inducing and make you dread it.
"My relatives are aware, 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 guarantee others enjoy themselves."
So it's clear why the traditionally happy period can quickly turn into a source of agony for those with the condition.
Triggers that may be considered normal, like someone sipping a beverage, opening presents, or enjoying festive food can cause a powerful reaction that can even lead to them skipping events entirely.
Jenna, a university student, who has experienced misophonia from childhood, explains her strategy is to listen to music to get through dinner. Typically, she would often retreat in a different room to escape problematic noises.
She says her condition is worse around people she's closest to, so Christmas is always "hard".
"There is pressure to be around loved ones, and I wish to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"I feel as if this intense irritation comes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel panicked and burst into tears and then the stress response will kick in.
"To others it appears as if I'm being unreasonable and melodramatic, but it's tough to describe if you haven't felt it."
A Few Techniques to Handle It
If it's an issue then there are some different techniques you can use to handle the situation, as suggested by experts.
- Visualise Something Else: Imagination is essential. Try to associate the particular sound bothering you with something completely different. As an illustration, try to picture someone's slurping is just a gentle stream. This technique is to retrain your mind that the sound affecting you isn't harmful.
- Make it a Game: Have a bit of fun and turn the annoying sound into a challenge with the culprit. For example, if someone is crunching loudly try mimicking the sound. Through participation, rather than feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an engaged person. And the challenge 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. So if someone was making a nasal sound, it could be that they're not at their best or maybe they're upset. By doing this is re-framing the context of the sound. Even though the sound stays the same, your interpretation of it moves from being annoying, to feeling a little more neutral about it.
