Christmas Often Proves to Be a Nightmare for Those with Misophonia.
Lottie hopes for being with her relatives during the festive period, but says one of the only ways she'll cope is by using her noise-cancelling devices - especially during the main festive feast.
For her, Christmas often feels like a notably tough season as the noises of people eating, slurping and breathing heavily trigger extremely uncomfortable.
"I experience this feeling of sudden panic, my whole body will just freeze and it seems as if I'm in peril, and I need to somehow control these triggers."
The individual has suffered from sound sensitivity for several years and for her that makes the holiday period "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to specific noises, especially noises produced by other people.
The condition is widespread in the UK. Researchers discovered nearly 20% people suffer from it.
Frequently it's noises connected to mouth, throat or facial movements that cause distress, including things like crunching, heavy breathing, and foot tapping.
'Anxiety Inducing'
She explains: "I face so many various auditory triggers at Christmas and that can be daunting and make you dread it.
"My family 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 managing my symptoms to make sure the event goes smoothly."
So it's easy to understand why the most wonderful time of the year can quickly turn into a source of agony for affected individuals.
Noises that may seem harmless, like someone sipping a beverage, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or eating the holiday meal can provoke a powerful reaction that can even lead to them skipping events entirely.
Jenna, a young adult, who has experienced sound sensitivity for over a decade, says her strategy is to use headphones to manage the meal. Usually, she would often retreat in a different room to avoid triggering sounds.
She says her misophonia is worse around people she's most comfortable with, so the holidays is always "hard".
"There is pressure to socialize with family, and I want to, but it's draining.
"The sensation is this uncontrollable anger comes over me, which can feel awkward, 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 difficult and overreacting, but it's difficult to convey if you haven't felt it."
Three Ways to Handle It
For those affected then there are various strategies you can use to handle the situation, according to experts.
- Picture an Alternative: Creative thinking is key. Try to associate the triggering sound causing distress with something completely different. For instance, try to envision someone's slurping is just a sink draining water. By doing this is to help your brain learn that the sound affecting you isn't harmful.
- Try a Competition: Have a bit of fun and make the irritating noise into a challenge involving the source. For example, if someone is eating noisily have a go at joining in. By mimicking, rather than feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an active participant. And the competition element should help redirect your focus and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Create a Scenario: Another technique is to try to create a little story about the reason someone making the noise is having to make that sound. For example if someone was sniffing, perhaps they're not feeling well or could be emotional. By doing this is changing the meaning of the sound. While the sound stays the same, your interpretation of it moves from being irritating, to feeling a bit more accepting towards it.
