Christmas Can Be a Living Hell for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
Lottie hopes for spending time with her loved ones over the holidays, but says one of the only ways she'll cope is by relying on her noise-cancelling devices - notably for Christmas dinner.
For her, Christmas can be a particularly difficult period as the auditory triggers of people eating, sipping loudly and breathing heavily make her feel extremely uncomfortable.
"I get this wave of instant dread, my whole body will just tighten and it as though I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to somehow control these triggers."
The individual has suffered from sound sensitivity from a young age and for her that renders the holiday period "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to specific noises, particularly those made by other people.
It's surprisingly common across the population. Experts reported almost one in five people are affected by it.
Typically it's sounds linked to bodily functions that trigger a reaction, along with examples such as chewing, heavy breathing, and foot tapping.
A Source of Dread
The sufferer notes: "You encounter so many various auditory triggers at the holidays and that can be anxiety inducing and make you want to avoid it.
"My family are supportive, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a internal conflict of sacrificing my own sanity to ensure everyone else is happy."
So it's obvious why the most wonderful time of the year can transform into a source of agony for sufferers.
Sounds that may appear innocuous, like someone drinking champagne, opening presents, or enjoying festive food can cause a powerful reaction that can even cause them avoiding social settings altogether.
Jenna, a university student, who has dealt with sound sensitivity since aged 10, states currently her plan is to use headphones to manage the meal. Usually, she would often retreat in a separate space to avoid problematic noises.
She explains her condition is more pronounced around people she's most comfortable with, so Christmas is always "challenging".
"People assume you to spend time with loved ones, and I wish to, but it's draining.
"I feel as if this intense irritation takes hold, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel anxious and immediately start crying and then fight-or-flight will activate.
"To others it appears as if I'm being difficult and overreacting, but it's hard to explain if you haven't felt it."
Three Ways to Cope
For those affected then there are a few methods you can use to handle the situation, according to clinical psychologists.
- Picture Something Else: Imagination is essential. Work on connecting the particular 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 help your brain learn that the sound affecting you isn't harmful.
- Try a Competition: Have a bit of fun and make the irritating noise into a competition with the culprit. For instance, if someone is crunching loudly attempt copying the noise. By mimicking, rather than feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an active participant. And the competition element should help distract your brain and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Craft a Story: Another technique is to try to invent a reason about why the person creating the sound is having to make that sound. For example if someone was sniffing, it could be that they're not feeling well or maybe they're upset. By doing this is changing the meaning of the sound. While the sound doesn't change, your interpretation of it moves from being irritating, to feeling a bit more accepting towards it.
