The Holiday Season Can Be a Living Hell for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
Lottie hopes for being with her family this Christmas, but notes a primary method she'll endure is by wearing her hearing protection - notably for Christmas dinner.
For her, this time of year is a especially challenging period as the sounds of family members munching, slurping and nose-blowing trigger intense distress.
"I experience this feeling of instant dread, my whole body will just tighten and it feels like I'm in peril, and I need to stop these noises."
Lottie has lived with sound sensitivity since she was 16 and for her that makes the festive season "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to certain sounds, notably sounds coming from other people.
It is prevalent in the UK. A study reported almost one in five people are affected by it.
Frequently it's noises associated with eating or drinking that cause distress, along with examples such as chewing, breathing, and foot tapping.
'Anxiety Inducing'
She explains: "There are so many assorted problematic noises at the holidays and that can be anxiety inducing and make you dread it.
"My relatives are supportive, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to upset others. It's like a constant struggle of enduring my distress to guarantee the event goes smoothly."
So it's clear why the supposedly joyous time of the year can rapidly become a stressful ordeal for those with the condition.
Sounds that may seem harmless, like someone drinking champagne, opening presents, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can cause a powerful reaction that can even lead to them withdrawing from gatherings.
Jenna, a 21-year-old student, who has experienced misophonia for over a decade, states currently her plan is to listen to music to get through dinner. Usually, she would usually isolate herself in a quiet area to minimize triggering sounds.
She notes her sensitivity is worse around people she's closest to, so Christmas is always "hard".
"There is pressure to spend time with family, and I desire to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"The sensation is this intense irritation washes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel stressed and burst into tears and then panic will kick in.
"It can come across as if I'm being unreasonable and dramatic, but it's hard to explain without firsthand experience."
A Few Techniques to Handle It
If you suffer then there are a few methods you can use to handle the situation, based on advice from experts.
- Imagine a Different Scenario: Creative thinking is essential. Work on connecting the triggering sound bothering you with a neutral concept. So for example, try to picture someone's noisy drinking is just a sink draining water. By doing this is to help your brain learn that the sound triggering you isn't harmful.
- Try a Competition: Have a bit of fun and turn the annoying sound into a game involving the source. As an example, if someone is eating noisily try joining in. By mimicking, instead of feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an willing part. And the challenge should help distract your brain and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Develop a Narrative: A further strategy is to try to fabricate an explanation about the reason someone making the noise is behaving that way. For example if someone was sniffing, it could be that they're not at their best or could be emotional. The idea is re-framing the context of the sound. Although the noise stays the same, your reaction of it shifts from being irritating, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.
