Christmas Can Be a Living Hell for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
A 23-year-old hopes for seeing her relatives during the festive period, but admits a key strategy she'll manage to get through it is by using her hearing protection - especially during the main festive feast.
In her case, this time of year is a especially challenging season as the noises of people eating, drinking noisily and nose-blowing make her feel profound anxiety.
"There's this sensation of sudden panic, my every muscle will just freeze and it seems as if I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to somehow control these triggers."
Lottie has suffered from this condition since she was 16 and for her that renders the festive season "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to certain sounds, particularly those produced by individuals.
It's surprisingly common across the population. Researchers reported a significant portion of people suffer from it.
Typically it's sounds connected to bodily functions that lead to discomfort, along with things like chewing, breathing, and pen clicking.
Triggering Stress
The sufferer notes: "I face so many various auditory triggers at the holidays and that can be anxiety inducing and make you dread it.
"My family are supportive, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to upset others. It's like a constant struggle of sacrificing my own sanity to ensure others enjoy themselves."
So it's clear why the traditionally happy season can quickly turn into a living nightmare for those with the condition.
Triggers that may seem harmless, like someone sipping a beverage, unwrapping gifts, or eating the holiday meal can trigger a visceral feeling that can even cause them withdrawing from gatherings.
The student, a young adult, who has dealt with misophonia for over a decade, says the approach she intends to use is to listen to music to manage the meal. Usually, she would usually isolate herself in a quiet area to avoid problematic noises.
She says her misophonia is more pronounced around people she's most familiar with, so the holidays is always "hard".
"There's an expectation to spend time with family, and I wish to, but it's draining.
"I feel as if this intense irritation takes hold, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel panicked and begin to weep and then the stress response will take over.
"It may seem as if I'm being difficult and dramatic, but it's difficult to convey unless you've experienced it."
Several Strategies to Manage
For those affected then there are various strategies you can use to handle the situation, according to specialists.
- Visualise Something Else: Imagination is crucial. Attempt to link the specific noise bothering you with something completely different. As an illustration, try to picture someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. The goal is to teach your brain that the sound triggering you isn't harmful.
- Make it a Game: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a competition with the person. As an example, if someone is crunching loudly have a go at mimicking the sound. By mimicking, instead of feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an willing part. And the game aspect should help shift your attention and make you a little less affected.
- Develop a Narrative: A further strategy is to try to create a little story about the reason someone creating the sound is behaving that way. So if someone was making a nasal sound, maybe they are not in good health or are troubled. By doing this is re-framing the context of the sound. Even though the noise remains identical, your reaction of it shifts from being aggravating, to feeling a little more neutral towards it.
