Christmas Often Proves to Be a Terrifying Experience for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
A 23-year-old hopes for seeing her relatives over the holidays, but says a key strategy she'll manage to get through it is by relying on her hearing protection - especially during the main festive feast.
In her case, Christmas can be a particularly difficult period as the auditory triggers of other people chewing, sipping loudly and sniffling cause her profound anxiety.
"There's this wave of instant dread, my every muscle will just tense up and it seems as if I'm in danger, and I need to manage these sounds."
Lottie has experienced this condition since she was 16 and for her that renders the holiday period "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to certain sounds, especially noises produced by other people.
It is prevalent amongst adults. Experts found almost one in five people suffer from it.
Typically it's sounds linked to eating or drinking that trigger a reaction, as well as things like chewing, breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
Triggering Stress
Lottie says: "There are so many different triggering sounds at the holidays and that can be anxiety inducing 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 guarantee everyone else is happy."
So it's easy to understand why the traditionally happy time of the year can rapidly become a stressful ordeal for sufferers.
Sounds that may be considered normal, like someone sipping a beverage, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or enjoying festive food can provoke a visceral feeling that can even cause them skipping events entirely.
Jenna, a 21-year-old student, who has struggled with misophonia from childhood, says the approach she intends to use is to put her earphones in to cope. Usually, she would usually isolate herself in a quiet area to escape distressing triggers.
She explains her condition is more pronounced around people she's most familiar with, so the holidays is always "challenging".
"There is pressure to socialize with loved ones, and I want to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"The sensation is this sudden rage comes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel panicked and immediately start crying and then the stress response will take over.
"It can come across as if I'm being oversensitive and melodramatic, but it's tough to describe unless you've experienced it."
A Few Techniques to Manage
If it's an issue then there are various strategies you can use to handle the situation, according to specialists.
- Picture Something Else: Creative thinking is crucial. Try to associate the particular sound causing distress with an unrelated image. As an illustration, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. This technique is to retrain your mind that the sound affecting you is neutral.
- Try a Competition: Have a bit of fun and turn the annoying sound into a game involving the source. As an example, if someone is crunching loudly attempt mimicking the sound. By mimicking, rather than feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an active participant. And the challenge should help redirect your focus and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Develop a Narrative: Another technique is to try to fabricate an explanation about why the person creating the sound is doing it. For example if someone was making a nasal sound, perhaps they're not feeling well or maybe they're upset. By doing this is altering the perception of the sound. Although the noise doesn't change, your understanding of it shifts from being aggravating, to feeling a little more neutral about it.
