Christmas Transforms Into a Living Hell for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
Lottie is looking forward to spending time with her family during the festive period, but admits a key strategy she'll manage to get through it is by wearing her hearing protection - notably for the holiday meal.
In her case, the holidays often feels like a notably tough time as the auditory triggers of other people chewing, slurping and nose-blowing make her feel profound anxiety.
"I experience this feeling of immediate anxiety, my entire being will just freeze and it seems as if I'm in peril, and I need to somehow control these triggers."
The individual has lived with misophonia from a young age and for her that causes the festive season "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to particular auditory triggers, notably sounds made by those around you.
It's surprisingly common in the UK. A study reported a significant portion of people experience it.
Typically it's sounds connected to bodily functions that lead to discomfort, along with examples such as crunching, heavy breathing, and foot tapping.
A Source of Dread
The sufferer notes: "There are so many various auditory triggers at Christmas and that can be anxiety inducing and make you fear it.
"My family are aware, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a really big battle of enduring my distress to ensure others enjoy themselves."
So it's easy to understand why the supposedly joyous period can transform into a source of agony for affected individuals.
Sounds that may appear innocuous, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or enjoying festive food can cause a strong emotional response that can even lead to them avoiding social settings altogether.
Jenna, a 21-year-old student, who has experienced misophonia since aged 10, states currently her plan is to use headphones to get through dinner. Typically, she would often retreat in a separate space to escape problematic noises.
She notes her sensitivity is more intense around people she's most comfortable with, so the holidays is always "challenging".
"There is pressure to spend time with family, and I wish to, but it's draining.
"The sensation is this uncontrollable anger washes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel panicked and immediately start crying and then panic will activate.
"It may seem as if I'm being unreasonable and melodramatic, but it's hard to explain unless you've experienced it."
Three Ways to Handle It
If you suffer then there are a few methods you can attempt to manage the situation, as suggested by specialists.
- Visualise a Different Scenario: Creative thinking is crucial. Work on connecting the triggering sound affecting you with a neutral concept. As an illustration, try to picture someone's noisy drinking is just a sink draining water. By doing this is to teach your brain that the sound affecting you poses no threat.
- Make it a Game: Have a bit of fun and make the irritating noise into a challenge with the culprit. As an example, if someone is eating noisily have a go at mimicking the sound. By mimicking, instead of feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an engaged person. And the competition element should help distract your brain and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Create a Scenario: One more method is to try to invent a reason about why the person making the noise is behaving that way. For example if someone was making a nasal sound, it could be that they're not in good health or are troubled. By doing this is re-framing the context of the sound. Although the sound doesn't change, your interpretation of it shifts from being annoying, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.