Yuletide Transforms Into a Terrifying Experience for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
One young woman anticipates being with her loved ones over the holidays, but admits a key strategy she'll cope is by relying on her earplugs - especially during Christmas dinner.
For the 23-year-old, the holidays is a particularly difficult season as the auditory triggers of other people chewing, drinking noisily and breathing heavily trigger intense distress.
"I experience this feeling of immediate anxiety, my whole body will just tense up and it seems as if I'm in danger, and I need to somehow control these noises."
The individual has experienced sound sensitivity from a young age and for her that renders the Christmas time "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to particular auditory triggers, notably sounds made by other people.
The condition is widespread in the UK. A study found nearly 20% people experience it.
Frequently it's sounds associated with mouth, throat or facial movements that cause distress, including examples such as chewing, heavy breathing, and pen clicking.
Triggering Stress
Lottie says: "I face so many assorted problematic noises at Christmas and that can be stressful and make you fear it.
"My family are aware, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a constant struggle of enduring my distress to make sure others enjoy themselves."
So it's clear why the supposedly joyous time of the year can quickly turn into a stressful ordeal for affected individuals.
Noises that may be considered normal, like someone drinking champagne, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or enjoying festive food can trigger a strong emotional response that can even result in them avoiding social settings altogether.
She, a university student, who has experienced sound sensitivity from childhood, explains the approach she intends to use is to listen to music to manage the meal. Usually, she would usually isolate herself in a quiet area to avoid distressing triggers.
She notes her misophonia is worse around people she's most comfortable with, so Christmas is always "hard".
"There is pressure to spend time with loved ones, and I wish to, but it's draining.
"The sensation is this intense irritation takes hold, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel panicked and begin to weep and then panic will activate.
"It can come across as if I'm being unreasonable and overreacting, but it's tough to describe unless you've experienced it."
A Few Techniques to Handle It
For those affected then there are some different techniques you can try to cope the situation, according to specialists.
- Visualise Something Else: Mental imagery is crucial. Work on connecting the specific noise bothering you with an unrelated image. So for example, try to envision someone's slurping is just a waterfall. By doing this is to help your brain learn that the sound affecting you is neutral.
- Make it a Game: Have a bit of fun and turn the annoying sound into a game with the person. As an example, if someone is crunching loudly try joining in. Through participation, instead of feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an active participant. And the game aspect should help redirect your focus and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Create a Scenario: Another technique is to try to invent a reason about why the person creating the sound is doing it. Imagine if someone was making a nasal sound, perhaps they're not feeling well or could be emotional. The idea is altering the perception of the sound. Even though the noise doesn't change, your reaction of it changes from being aggravating, to feeling a little more neutral towards it.
