Christmas Often Proves to Be a Nightmare for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
A 23-year-old hopes for seeing her relatives during the festive period, but says one of the only ways she'll manage to get through it is by relying on her hearing protection - particularly at the main festive feast.
For her, Christmas can be a notably tough period as the auditory triggers of other people chewing, drinking noisily and breathing heavily make her feel extremely uncomfortable.
"I get this wave of immediate anxiety, my whole body will just tense up and it seems as if I'm in danger, and I need to stop these sounds."
Lottie has lived with sound sensitivity from a young age and for her that renders the holiday period "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to particular auditory triggers, especially noises made by those around you.
The condition is widespread in the UK. Experts reported a significant portion of people experience it.
Often it's sounds associated with mouth, throat or facial movements that cause distress, as well as things like chewing, breathing, and pen clicking.
A Source of Dread
The sufferer notes: "You encounter so many various auditory triggers at Christmas and that can be stressful and make you want to avoid it.
"Those close to me are understanding, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a really big battle of managing my symptoms to guarantee others enjoy themselves."
So it's clear why the traditionally happy season can rapidly become a stressful ordeal for sufferers.
Noises that may be considered normal, like someone drinking champagne, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can provoke a visceral feeling that can even result in them withdrawing from gatherings.
Jenna, a university student, who has experienced misophonia from childhood, states currently her plan is to put her earphones in to cope. Typically, she would frequently go in a different room to minimize distressing triggers.
She says her sensitivity is more pronounced around people she's closest to, so Christmas is always "challenging".
"There is pressure to socialize with family, and I want to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"I feel as if this intense irritation comes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel panicked and begin to weep and then fight-or-flight will take over.
"It may seem as if I'm being unreasonable and dramatic, but it's difficult to convey if you haven't felt it."
Several Strategies to Handle It
If it's an issue then there are a few methods you can try to cope the situation, as suggested by clinical psychologists.
- Imagine a Different Scenario: Creative thinking is essential. Work on connecting the particular sound causing distress with a neutral concept. So for example, try to picture someone's noisy drinking is just a waterfall. By doing this is to retrain your mind that the sound triggering you is neutral.
- Use Humor: Have a bit of fun and make the irritating noise into a challenge involving the source. For instance, if someone is eating noisily try mimicking the sound. Through participation, rather than feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an willing part. And the game aspect should help shift your attention and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Create a Scenario: Another technique is to try to create a little story about the reason someone making the noise is behaving that way. So if someone was sniffing, maybe they are not feeling well or are troubled. The idea is changing the meaning of the sound. Although the sound stays the same, your reaction of it moves from being irritating, to feeling a little more neutral towards it.
