The Holiday Season Transforms Into a Living Hell for Those with Misophonia.
Lottie anticipates being with her relatives during the festive period, but says a primary method she'll manage to get through it is by wearing her noise-cancelling devices - particularly at the main festive feast.
For the 23-year-old, this time of year often feels like a especially challenging period as the auditory triggers of family members munching, slurping and nose-blowing trigger extremely uncomfortable.
"I experience this feeling of sudden panic, my whole body will just tighten and it seems as if I'm in danger, and I need to stop these triggers."
Lottie has lived with misophonia since she was 16 and for her that causes the holiday period "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to specific noises, particularly those made by those around you.
It's surprisingly common in the UK. Experts discovered a significant portion of people are affected by it.
Often it's noises associated with bodily functions that trigger a reaction, as well as examples such as crunching, heavy breathing, and foot tapping.
A Source of Dread
The sufferer notes: "There are so many assorted problematic noises at Christmas and that can be anxiety inducing and make you fear it.
"My family are supportive, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a internal conflict of sacrificing my own sanity to make sure the event goes smoothly."
So it's clear why the most wonderful time of the year can transform into a source of agony for sufferers.
Triggers that may appear innocuous, like someone drinking champagne, opening presents, or enjoying festive food can cause a powerful reaction that can even result in them avoiding social settings altogether.
The student, a young adult, who has struggled with sound sensitivity since aged 10, states her strategy is to put her earphones in to manage the meal. Usually, she would frequently go in a separate space to escape triggering sounds.
She says her sensitivity is more pronounced around people she's most familiar with, so Christmas is always "challenging".
"People assume you to spend time with family, and I desire to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"The sensation is this uncontrollable anger comes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel panicked and burst into tears and then fight-or-flight will activate.
"To others it appears as if I'm being unreasonable and dramatic, but it's difficult to convey if you haven't felt it."
Three Ways to Manage
If you suffer then there are some different techniques you can attempt to manage the situation, based on advice from clinical psychologists.
- Visualise a Different Scenario: Mental imagery is key. Work on connecting the specific noise affecting you with an unrelated image. As an illustration, try to imagine someone's slurping is just a gentle stream. The goal is to retrain your mind that the sound triggering you isn't harmful.
- Use Humor: Have a bit of fun and turn the annoying sound into a challenge with the culprit. For instance, if someone is eating noisily try joining in. By mimicking, rather than feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an willing part. And the competition element should help shift your attention and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Craft a Story: A further strategy is to try to invent a reason about the reason someone creating the sound is doing it. For example if someone was sniffing, perhaps they're not feeling well or could be emotional. This approach is changing the meaning of the sound. Even though the sound remains identical, your interpretation of it shifts from being annoying, to feeling a slightly more compassionate towards it.
