The Holiday Season Often Proves to Be a Nightmare for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
Lottie hopes for spending time with her relatives during the festive period, but notes a primary method she'll endure is by using her hearing protection - especially during the holiday meal.
For her, Christmas can be a especially challenging time as the auditory triggers of other people chewing, slurping and sniffling make her feel extremely uncomfortable.
"There's this feeling of immediate anxiety, my whole body will just freeze and it as though I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to manage these triggers."
Lottie has experienced this condition for several years and for her that causes the Christmas time "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to specific noises, particularly those coming from individuals.
It's surprisingly common in the UK. A study reported almost one in five people experience it.
Frequently it's sounds connected to mouth, throat or facial movements that trigger a reaction, along with things like crunching, breathing, and foot tapping.
A Source of Dread
Lottie says: "I face so many various auditory triggers at Christmas and that can be stressful and make you want to avoid it.
"Those close to me are aware, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to upset others. It's like a internal conflict of sacrificing my own sanity to guarantee everyone else is happy."
So it's obvious why the supposedly joyous period can transform into a stressful ordeal for affected individuals.
Noises that may appear innocuous, like someone sipping a beverage, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or eating the holiday meal can provoke a visceral feeling that can even lead to them avoiding social settings altogether.
She, a young adult, who has struggled with misophonia for over a decade, explains currently her plan is to use headphones to get through dinner. Typically, she would usually isolate herself in a separate space to avoid problematic noises.
She says her condition is more pronounced around people she's most comfortable with, so Christmas is always "difficult".
"There's an expectation to spend time with loved ones, and I desire to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"I feel as if this intense irritation takes hold, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel anxious and burst into tears and then fight-or-flight will take over.
"It can come across as if I'm being oversensitive and dramatic, but it's tough to describe if you haven't felt it."
Several Strategies to Handle It
If it's an issue then there are some different techniques you can attempt to manage the situation, according to clinical psychologists.
- Imagine a Different Scenario: Mental imagery is crucial. Try to associate the particular sound affecting you with a neutral concept. As an illustration, try to picture someone's noisy drinking is just a sink draining water. The goal is to help your brain learn that the sound affecting you poses no threat.
- Make it a Game: Have a bit of fun and make the irritating noise into a competition with the culprit. As an example, if someone is eating noisily try mimicking the sound. By joining in, rather than feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an active participant. And the challenge should help shift your attention and make you a little less affected.
- Craft a Story: One more method is to try to create a little story about the reason someone creating the sound is having to make that sound. For example if someone was sniffing, it could be that they're not at their best or maybe they're upset. By doing this is altering the perception of the sound. Although the sound remains identical, your reaction of it changes from being aggravating, to feeling a little more neutral towards it.
