Christmas Often Proves to Be a Terrifying Experience for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
One young woman hopes for spending time with her family during the festive period, but admits a key strategy she'll endure is by using her earplugs - especially during Christmas dinner.
For the 23-year-old, Christmas can be a especially challenging time as the noises of other people chewing, drinking noisily and breathing heavily make her feel intense distress.
"There's this feeling of instant dread, my whole body will just tighten and it seems as if I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to manage these noises."
Lottie has suffered from misophonia for several years and for her that makes the Christmas time "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to particular auditory triggers, especially noises coming from other people.
It is prevalent amongst adults. A study found nearly 20% people suffer from it.
Typically it's sounds connected to eating or drinking that lead to discomfort, as well as examples such as chewing, breathing, and foot tapping.
Triggering Stress
The sufferer notes: "There are so many various auditory triggers at the holidays and that can be daunting and make you want to avoid it.
"My family 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 managing my symptoms to ensure everyone else is happy."
So it's obvious why the supposedly joyous season can quickly turn into a stressful ordeal for those with the condition.
Triggers that may appear innocuous, like someone sipping a beverage, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or eating the holiday meal can cause a visceral feeling that can even result in them skipping events entirely.
The student, a young adult, who has struggled with misophonia since aged 10, states her strategy is to use headphones to cope. Typically, she would usually isolate herself in a separate space to escape problematic noises.
She says her sensitivity is more intense around people she's most comfortable with, so Christmas is always "hard".
"There is pressure to spend time with family, and I wish to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"The sensation is this uncontrollable anger comes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel anxious and begin to weep and then panic will take over.
"To others it appears as if I'm being unreasonable and dramatic, but it's tough to describe without firsthand experience."
Three Ways to Handle It
If it's an issue then there are a few methods you can attempt to manage the situation, as suggested by clinical psychologists.
- Visualise a Different Scenario: Imagination is crucial. Attempt to link the particular sound causing distress with something completely different. So for example, try to envision someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. This technique is to help your brain learn that the sound triggering you is neutral.
- Try a Competition: Have a bit of fun and turn the annoying sound into a challenge with the person. For instance, if someone is crunching loudly have a go at copying the noise. By joining in, instead of feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an active participant. And the competition element should help shift your attention and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Develop a Narrative: A further strategy is to try to invent a reason about the reason someone creating the sound is behaving that way. Imagine if someone was sniffing, maybe they are not in good health or could be emotional. The idea is altering the perception of the sound. While the noise stays the same, your interpretation of it moves from being irritating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate about it.
