Yuletide Transforms Into a Nightmare for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
A 23-year-old anticipates seeing her loved ones over the holidays, but says a key strategy she'll manage to get through it is by relying on her hearing protection - notably for the holiday meal.
For her, Christmas is a especially challenging season as the auditory triggers of other people chewing, sipping loudly and breathing heavily trigger intense distress.
"There's this sensation of immediate anxiety, my whole body will just freeze and it as though I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to somehow control these sounds."
Lottie has lived with sound sensitivity for several years and for her that renders the holiday period "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to specific noises, notably sounds produced by those around you.
It is prevalent across the population. Experts found almost one in five people are affected by it.
Typically it's sounds connected to eating or drinking that trigger a reaction, along with examples such as chewing, heavy breathing, and foot tapping.
Triggering Stress
Lottie says: "You encounter so many various auditory triggers at Christmas and that can be stressful and make you want to avoid it.
"Those close to me are understanding, but I'm very aware that I don't want to upset others. It's like a constant struggle of enduring my distress to make sure everyone else is happy."
So it's easy to understand why the supposedly joyous period can rapidly become a stressful ordeal for those with the condition.
Triggers that may be considered normal, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or enjoying festive food can trigger a strong emotional response that can even result in them withdrawing from gatherings.
The student, a university student, who has experienced misophonia since aged 10, states her strategy is to use headphones to get through dinner. Typically, she would frequently go in a quiet area to avoid problematic noises.
She explains her misophonia is more pronounced around people she's most familiar with, so the holidays is always "difficult".
"There is pressure to socialize with family, and I want to, but it's draining.
"I feel as if this intense irritation takes hold, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel panicked and burst into tears and then fight-or-flight will kick in.
"It may seem as if I'm being oversensitive and dramatic, but it's tough to describe if you haven't felt it."
Several Strategies to Cope
If it's an issue then there are various strategies you can attempt to manage the situation, as suggested by experts.
- Visualise Something Else: Mental imagery is crucial. Try to associate the particular sound bothering you with an unrelated image. For instance, try to envision someone's slurping is just a gentle stream. This technique is to help your brain learn that the sound triggering you is neutral.
- Try a Competition: Introduce playfulness and turn the annoying sound into a challenge with the culprit. As an example, if someone is crunching loudly try mimicking the sound. By joining in, instead of feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an willing part. And the challenge should help distract your brain and make you a little less affected.
- Develop a Narrative: One more method is to try to create a little story about why the person creating the sound is doing it. Imagine if someone was making a nasal sound, maybe they are not at their best or maybe they're upset. The idea is changing the meaning of the sound. Even though the noise stays the same, your interpretation of it moves from being aggravating, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.
