The Holiday Season Can Be a Nightmare for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
One young woman is looking forward to spending time with her relatives this Christmas, but admits a primary method she'll endure is by wearing her hearing protection - notably for Christmas dinner.
For the 23-year-old, this time of year is a particularly difficult time as the auditory triggers of other people chewing, sipping loudly and breathing heavily make her feel intense distress.
"There's this feeling of immediate anxiety, my every muscle will just freeze and it as though I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to somehow control these triggers."
Lottie has lived with misophonia for several years and for her that renders the Christmas time "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to particular auditory triggers, particularly those produced by those around you.
It's surprisingly common across the population. Experts reported almost one in five people are affected by it.
Frequently it's noises associated with bodily functions that lead to discomfort, as well as examples such as crunching, breathing, and foot tapping.
'Anxiety Inducing'
Lottie says: "You encounter so many various auditory triggers at Christmas and that can be stressful and make you want to avoid it.
"My relatives are understanding, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to upset others. It's like a constant struggle of sacrificing my own sanity to make sure everyone else is happy."
So it's clear why the supposedly joyous time of the year can transform into a source of agony for affected individuals.
Noises that may be considered normal, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, opening presents, or enjoying festive food can provoke a powerful reaction that can even cause them skipping events entirely.
The student, a young adult, who has struggled with sound sensitivity for over a decade, states her strategy is to put her earphones in to manage the meal. Typically, she would usually isolate herself in a separate space to minimize distressing triggers.
She says her condition is more intense around people she's most comfortable with, so the holidays is always "difficult".
"People assume you to socialize with family, and I wish to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"It's like this intense irritation washes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel stressed and begin to weep and then panic will take over.
"To others it appears as if I'm being unreasonable 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 use to handle the situation, according to clinical psychologists.
- Picture a Different Scenario: Imagination is crucial. Work on connecting the particular sound bothering you with a neutral concept. For instance, try to envision someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. By doing this is to retrain your mind that the sound triggering you isn't harmful.
- Try a Competition: Use lightheartedness and make the irritating noise into a challenge involving the source. For instance, if someone is eating noisily attempt copying the noise. Through participation, instead of feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an willing part. And the competition element should help redirect your focus and make you a little less affected.
- Create a Scenario: Another technique is to try to fabricate an explanation about the reason someone making the noise is having to make that sound. For example if someone was sniffing, maybe they are not at their best or maybe they're upset. The idea is altering the perception of the sound. While the noise doesn't change, your understanding of it moves from being irritating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate about it.
