The Holiday Season Transforms Into a Terrifying Experience for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
A 23-year-old anticipates seeing her family during the festive period, but says a primary method she'll manage to get through it is by wearing her earplugs - especially during the main festive feast.
For the 23-year-old, Christmas is a especially challenging period as the auditory triggers of family members munching, slurping and breathing heavily make her feel extremely uncomfortable.
"I experience this wave of instant dread, my entire being will just tighten and it seems as if I'm in danger, and I need to somehow control these triggers."
She has suffered from this condition since she was 16 and for her that makes the Christmas time "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to particular auditory triggers, notably sounds made by those around you.
The condition is widespread in the UK. Researchers found nearly 20% people suffer from it.
Frequently it's sounds linked to eating or drinking that trigger a reaction, along with things like crunching, heavy breathing, and foot tapping.
A Source of Dread
Lottie says: "I face so many various auditory triggers at Christmas and that can be anxiety inducing and make you want to avoid it.
"Those close to me are supportive, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a really big battle of enduring my distress to make sure everyone else is happy."
So it's easy to understand why the supposedly joyous season can transform into a living nightmare for those with the condition.
Triggers that may appear innocuous, like someone drinking champagne, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or enjoying festive food can provoke a strong emotional response that can even lead to them withdrawing from gatherings.
The student, a young adult, who has dealt with sound sensitivity for over a decade, explains the approach she intends to use is to listen to music to get through dinner. Usually, she would usually isolate herself in a different room to avoid triggering sounds.
She notes her sensitivity is more intense around people she's most comfortable with, so the holidays is always "hard".
"There's an expectation to spend time with family, 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 stressed and burst into tears and then fight-or-flight will kick in.
"It may seem as if I'm being oversensitive and overreacting, but it's hard to explain without firsthand experience."
Three Ways to Cope
If you suffer then there are some different techniques you can use to handle the situation, according to experts.
- Imagine a Different Scenario: Imagination is key. Attempt to link the specific noise causing distress with an unrelated image. For instance, try to picture someone's noisy drinking is just a sink draining water. The goal is to help your brain learn that the sound affecting you isn't harmful.
- Try a Competition: Introduce playfulness and turn the annoying sound into a competition involving the source. As an example, if someone is crunching loudly attempt joining in. Through participation, instead of feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an active participant. And the game aspect should help distract your brain and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Craft a Story: Another technique is to try to create a little story about the reason someone creating the sound is having to make that sound. For example if someone was sniffing, perhaps they're not in good health or are troubled. The idea is changing the meaning of the sound. Even though the sound stays the same, your reaction of it shifts from being aggravating, to feeling a bit more accepting towards it.
