The Holiday Season Often Proves to Be a Terrifying Experience for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
One young woman is looking forward to being with her loved ones over the holidays, but says a key strategy she'll cope is by using her hearing protection - notably for the holiday meal.
In her case, this time of year can be a especially challenging time as the noises of people eating, drinking noisily and breathing heavily make her feel profound anxiety.
"There's this wave of immediate anxiety, my entire being will just tighten and it feels like I'm in danger, and I need to somehow control these noises."
Lottie has suffered from this condition from a young age and for her that renders the festive season "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to specific noises, notably sounds produced by other people.
It's surprisingly common amongst adults. A study discovered almost one in five people suffer from it.
Often it's noises linked to bodily functions that lead to discomfort, including examples such as chewing, breathing, and pen clicking.
Triggering Stress
She explains: "You encounter so many assorted problematic noises at the holidays and that can be daunting and make you fear it.
"My family are supportive, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to upset others. It's like a really big battle of sacrificing my own sanity to make sure others enjoy themselves."
So it's easy to understand why the supposedly joyous period can transform into a source of agony for sufferers.
Noises that may seem harmless, like someone drinking champagne, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can trigger a strong emotional response that can even lead to them avoiding social settings altogether.
She, a young adult, who has experienced misophonia since aged 10, explains the approach she intends to use is to put her earphones in to get through dinner. On any other day, she would often retreat in a different room to avoid distressing triggers.
She explains her misophonia is more intense around people she's closest to, so Christmas is always "difficult".
"People assume you to be around loved ones, and I wish to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"It's like this uncontrollable anger comes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel anxious and immediately start crying and then the stress response will activate.
"It may seem as if I'm being unreasonable and dramatic, but it's hard to explain unless you've experienced it."
Several Strategies to Manage
For those affected then there are some different techniques you can attempt to manage the situation, according to clinical psychologists.
- Imagine an Alternative: Creative thinking is essential. Try to associate the triggering sound affecting you with something completely different. So for example, try to envision someone's slurping is just a sink draining water. This technique is to teach your brain that the sound affecting you poses no threat.
- Make it a Game: Use lightheartedness and turn the annoying sound into a competition with the culprit. For instance, if someone is eating noisily have a go at mimicking the sound. By mimicking, instead of feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an active participant. And the game aspect should help redirect your focus and make you a little less affected.
- Develop a Narrative: One more method is to try to invent a reason about why the person creating the sound is behaving that way. For example if someone was making a nasal sound, maybe they are not feeling well or are troubled. By doing this is re-framing the context of the sound. Although the sound stays the same, your reaction of it shifts from being aggravating, to feeling a little more neutral towards it.
