Christmas Can Be a Terrifying Experience for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
Lottie hopes for spending time with her relatives over the holidays, but admits one of the only ways she'll manage to get through it is by using her noise-cancelling devices - notably for the holiday meal.
For the 23-year-old, Christmas often feels like a especially challenging season as the auditory triggers of family members munching, slurping and nose-blowing cause her profound anxiety.
"I experience this feeling of sudden panic, my whole body will just tighten and it seems as if I'm in peril, and I need to manage these triggers."
She has suffered from this condition for several years and for her that causes the festive season "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to specific noises, notably sounds produced by individuals.
It is prevalent across the population. Researchers discovered a significant portion of people experience it.
Typically it's noises associated with bodily functions that cause distress, including examples such as crunching, breathing, and foot tapping.
'Anxiety Inducing'
She explains: "There are so many various auditory triggers at the holidays and that can be daunting and make you fear it.
"Those close to me are supportive, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a constant struggle of sacrificing my own sanity to guarantee the event goes smoothly."
So it's clear why the supposedly joyous season can quickly turn into a stressful ordeal for those with the condition.
Noises that may be considered normal, like someone drinking champagne, opening presents, or eating the holiday meal can provoke a visceral feeling that can even lead to them skipping events entirely.
The student, a young adult, who has experienced misophonia since aged 10, states currently her plan is to put her earphones in to get through dinner. Typically, she would frequently go in a separate space to minimize triggering sounds.
She says her misophonia is more intense around people she's closest to, so the holidays is always "hard".
"There's an expectation 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 awkward, or I'll feel stressed and begin to weep and then the stress response will kick in.
"To others it appears as if I'm being unreasonable and overreacting, but it's tough to describe if you haven't felt it."
A Few Techniques to Handle It
For those affected then there are some different techniques you can try to cope the situation, as suggested by specialists.
- Imagine an Alternative: Creative thinking is essential. Attempt to link the triggering sound affecting you with an unrelated image. So for example, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a sink draining water. This technique is to retrain your mind that the sound triggering you isn't harmful.
- Use Humor: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a game involving the source. As an example, if someone is eating noisily attempt joining in. Through participation, instead of feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an engaged person. And the challenge should help distract your brain and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Create a Scenario: Another technique is to try to invent a reason about why the person making the noise is having to make that sound. Imagine if someone was sniffing, perhaps they're not in good health or could be emotional. The idea is changing the meaning of the sound. Although the noise stays the same, your interpretation of it changes from being irritating, to feeling a little more neutral towards it.
