Christmas Transforms Into a Nightmare for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
A 23-year-old anticipates spending time with her relatives during the festive period, but notes one of the only ways she'll endure is by relying on her earplugs - particularly at the main festive feast.
In her case, Christmas can be a notably tough period as the noises of family members munching, slurping and breathing heavily cause her intense distress.
"I get this feeling of sudden panic, my entire being will just tense up and it feels like I'm in peril, and I need to manage these noises."
She has suffered from this condition since she was 16 and for her that makes the holiday period "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to particular auditory triggers, particularly those made by other people.
It is prevalent in the UK. A study reported a significant portion of people suffer from it.
Frequently it's noises connected to bodily functions that lead to discomfort, including examples such as crunching, heavy breathing, and pen clicking.
'Anxiety Inducing'
Lottie says: "I face so many different triggering sounds at the holidays and that can be stressful and make you fear it.
"My relatives are supportive, but I'm very aware that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a really big battle of managing my symptoms to guarantee others enjoy themselves."
So it's easy to understand why the supposedly joyous season can rapidly become a living nightmare for sufferers.
Noises that may be considered normal, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, opening presents, or enjoying festive food can cause a strong emotional response that can even lead to them skipping events entirely.
The student, a 21-year-old student, who has struggled with sound sensitivity since aged 10, states the approach she intends to use is to use headphones to cope. Typically, she would usually isolate herself in a different room to avoid distressing triggers.
She explains her condition is more pronounced around people she's most comfortable with, so Christmas is always "difficult".
"There is pressure to spend time with family, and I want to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"It's like this intense irritation washes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel anxious and burst into tears and then fight-or-flight will activate.
"To others it appears as if I'm being unreasonable and melodramatic, but it's hard to explain unless you've experienced it."
A Few Techniques to Cope
For those affected then there are a few methods you can attempt to manage the situation, according to experts.
- Picture a Different Scenario: Imagination is essential. Work on connecting the triggering 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 teach your brain 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 person. As an example, if someone is crunching loudly try joining in. By mimicking, rather than feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an willing part. And the challenge should help shift your attention and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Develop a Narrative: One more method is to try to fabricate an explanation about why the person making the noise is doing it. So if someone was sniffing, it could be that they're not in good health or maybe they're upset. This approach is altering the perception of the sound. While the noise doesn't change, your interpretation of it changes from being annoying, to feeling a slightly more compassionate about it.
