Yuletide Often Proves to Be a Terrifying Experience for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
Lottie hopes for being with her family this Christmas, but admits a key strategy she'll manage to get through it is by using her noise-cancelling devices - especially during the holiday meal.
In her case, Christmas is a notably tough period as the noises of people eating, sipping loudly and breathing heavily trigger intense distress.
"There's this sensation of sudden panic, my whole body will just tense up and it as though I'm in danger, and I need to somehow control these sounds."
The individual has lived with sound sensitivity from a young age and for her that makes the holiday period "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to certain sounds, particularly those made by other people.
It's surprisingly common amongst adults. A study reported almost one in five people are affected by it.
Often it's sounds linked to mouth, throat or facial movements that lead to discomfort, as well as examples such as crunching, heavy breathing, and pen clicking.
Triggering Stress
Lottie says: "You encounter so many different triggering sounds at the holidays and that can be anxiety inducing and make you want to avoid it.
"My family are supportive, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a internal conflict of managing my symptoms to make sure everyone else is happy."
So it's clear why the traditionally happy period can quickly turn into a source of agony for sufferers.
Noises that may seem harmless, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or enjoying festive food can cause a powerful reaction that can even lead to them skipping events entirely.
The student, a university student, who has struggled with sound sensitivity for over a decade, states currently her plan is to use headphones to cope. Typically, she would usually isolate herself in a separate space to avoid distressing triggers.
She notes her sensitivity is more intense around people she's most comfortable with, so the holidays is always "challenging".
"There is pressure to socialize with family, and I want to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"The sensation is this intense irritation takes hold, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel stressed and begin to weep and then the stress response will activate.
"It may seem as if I'm being oversensitive and overreacting, but it's difficult to convey without firsthand experience."
A Few Techniques to Handle It
If you suffer then there are a few methods you can try to cope the situation, according to clinical psychologists.
- Imagine an Alternative: Creative thinking is essential. Work on connecting the specific noise causing distress with an unrelated image. For instance, 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 is neutral.
- Make it a Game: Use lightheartedness and turn the annoying sound into a competition with the person. For example, if someone is crunching loudly try joining in. By mimicking, instead of feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an engaged person. And the competition element should help shift your attention and make you a little less affected.
- Create a Scenario: A further strategy is to try to invent a reason about the reason someone creating the sound is having to make that sound. So if someone was making a nasal sound, maybe they are not in good health or maybe they're upset. By doing this is changing the meaning of the sound. While the sound stays the same, your reaction of it shifts from being aggravating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate towards it.
