The Holiday Season Transforms Into a Terrifying Experience for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
A 23-year-old hopes for seeing her loved ones over the holidays, but notes a key strategy she'll cope is by wearing her hearing protection - notably for Christmas dinner.
For her, Christmas often feels like a particularly difficult time as the noises of other people chewing, drinking noisily and nose-blowing trigger extremely uncomfortable.
"There's this wave of immediate anxiety, my every muscle will just freeze and it feels like I'm in danger, and I need to stop these triggers."
Lottie has experienced this condition since she was 16 and for her that makes the holiday period "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to certain sounds, particularly those produced by other people.
The condition is widespread across the population. Researchers discovered a significant portion of people experience it.
Frequently it's sounds associated with bodily functions that cause distress, along with things like chewing, breathing, and pen clicking.
'Anxiety Inducing'
Lottie says: "You encounter so many various auditory triggers at Christmas and that can be stressful and make you dread it.
"My family are supportive, but I'm very aware that I don't want to upset others. It's like a really big battle of sacrificing my own sanity to make sure others enjoy themselves."
So it's obvious why the most wonderful period can transform into a stressful ordeal for sufferers.
Triggers that may appear innocuous, like someone sipping a beverage, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can provoke a powerful reaction that can even lead to them skipping events entirely.
She, a young adult, who has struggled with misophonia since aged 10, says her strategy is to use headphones to manage the meal. Usually, she would often retreat in a separate space to minimize triggering sounds.
She explains her sensitivity is more intense around people she's closest to, so the holidays is always "difficult".
"There's an expectation to socialize with family, and I want to, but it's draining.
"I feel as if this sudden rage comes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel anxious and begin to weep and then the stress response will kick in.
"To others it appears as if I'm being oversensitive and overreacting, but it's hard to explain if you haven't felt it."
Three Ways to Handle It
If you suffer then there are a few methods you can attempt to manage the situation, according to specialists.
- Imagine an Alternative: Mental imagery is crucial. Attempt to link the particular sound causing distress with a neutral concept. For instance, try to imagine someone's slurping is just a gentle stream. By doing this is to retrain your mind that the sound affecting you isn't harmful.
- Make it a Game: Have a bit of fun and make the irritating noise into a competition involving the source. For instance, if someone is eating noisily attempt joining in. By joining in, instead of feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an engaged person. And the challenge should help shift your attention and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Develop a Narrative: Another technique is to try to invent a reason about the reason someone creating the sound is behaving that way. For example if someone was sniffing, it could be that they're not feeling well or could be emotional. By doing this is re-framing the context of the sound. Even though the noise remains identical, your understanding of it changes from being aggravating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate towards it.
