Christmas Can Be a Nightmare for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
One young woman hopes for being with her relatives this Christmas, but says a primary method she'll manage to get through it is by using her noise-cancelling devices - particularly at the main festive feast.
For her, Christmas can be a especially challenging time as the sounds of other people chewing, slurping and sniffling trigger extremely uncomfortable.
"I experience this sensation of sudden panic, my whole body will just freeze and it feels like I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to somehow control these sounds."
Lottie has lived with this condition since she was 16 and for her that causes the Christmas time "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to specific noises, notably sounds produced by those around you.
It's surprisingly common across the population. Experts found almost one in five people suffer from it.
Frequently it's sounds associated with mouth, throat or facial movements that lead to discomfort, along with examples such as crunching, breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
Triggering Stress
Lottie says: "There are so many various auditory triggers at the holidays and that can be anxiety inducing and make you want to avoid it.
"My relatives are supportive, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a constant struggle of sacrificing my own sanity to guarantee everyone else is happy."
So it's clear why the traditionally happy time of the year can transform into a stressful ordeal for affected individuals.
Triggers that may seem harmless, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, opening presents, or eating the holiday meal can provoke a strong emotional response that can even result in them skipping events entirely.
The student, a 21-year-old student, who has experienced sound sensitivity from childhood, says her strategy is to put her earphones in to get through dinner. On any other day, she would often retreat in a quiet area to escape distressing triggers.
She explains her misophonia is more intense around people she's most comfortable with, so Christmas is always "difficult".
"There's an expectation to socialize with family, and I wish to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"It's like this sudden rage takes hold, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel panicked and burst into tears and then fight-or-flight will activate.
"It can come across as if I'm being difficult and melodramatic, but it's difficult to convey unless you've experienced it."
Three Ways to Manage
For those affected then there are various strategies you can try to cope the situation, as suggested by clinical psychologists.
- Picture Something Else: Mental imagery is essential. Work on connecting the particular sound causing distress with something completely different. For instance, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a sink draining water. This technique is to retrain your mind that the sound triggering you is neutral.
- Make it a Game: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a game involving the source. As an example, if someone is eating noisily have a go at copying the noise. By mimicking, rather than feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an active participant. And the game aspect should help shift your attention and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Create a Scenario: Another technique is to try to fabricate an explanation about the reason someone creating the sound is having to make that sound. For example if someone was sniffing, maybe they are not feeling well or could be emotional. By doing this is altering the perception of the sound. Even though the sound remains identical, your interpretation of it moves from being aggravating, to feeling a bit more accepting towards it.
