Yuletide Often Proves to Be a Living Hell for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
Lottie anticipates spending time with her loved ones this Christmas, but notes one of the only ways she'll manage to get through it is by relying on her noise-cancelling devices - notably for Christmas dinner.
For the 23-year-old, the holidays is a particularly difficult period as the sounds of other people chewing, slurping and nose-blowing trigger intense distress.
"I get this feeling of immediate anxiety, my entire being will just freeze and it seems as if I'm in peril, and I need to stop these triggers."
She has suffered from this condition for several years and for her that causes the Christmas time "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to certain sounds, especially noises coming from other people.
The condition is widespread across the population. Researchers discovered almost one in five people experience it.
Typically it's sounds connected to bodily functions that lead to discomfort, along with things like crunching, heavy breathing, and foot tapping.
A Source of Dread
Lottie says: "There are so many assorted problematic noises at Christmas and that can be anxiety inducing and make you want to avoid it.
"My family are aware, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a internal conflict of managing my symptoms to make sure others enjoy themselves."
So it's obvious why the supposedly joyous season can transform into a source of agony for affected individuals.
Sounds that may be considered normal, like someone sipping a beverage, opening presents, or eating the holiday meal can provoke a powerful reaction that can even cause them skipping events entirely.
Jenna, a university student, who has experienced sound sensitivity since aged 10, states the approach she intends to use is to listen to music to get through dinner. On any other day, she would frequently go in a different room to avoid triggering sounds.
She explains her misophonia is worse around people she's most familiar with, so the holidays is always "difficult".
"People assume you to spend time with family, and I wish to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"I feel as if this uncontrollable anger comes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel panicked and begin to weep and then fight-or-flight will activate.
"It may seem as if I'm being oversensitive and overreacting, but it's difficult to convey if you haven't felt it."
A Few Techniques to Cope
If you suffer then there are some different techniques you can try to cope the situation, based on advice from clinical psychologists.
- Imagine Something Else: Creative thinking is key. Work on connecting the specific noise affecting you with something completely different. For instance, try to envision someone's slurping is just a sink draining water. The goal is to retrain your mind that the sound affecting you poses no threat.
- Use Humor: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a challenge involving the source. For example, if someone is eating noisily attempt mimicking the sound. By mimicking, instead of feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an active participant. And the game aspect should help distract your brain and make you a little less affected.
- Craft a Story: One more method is to try to invent a reason about why the person making the noise is doing it. For example if someone was making a nasal sound, it could be that they're not feeling well or are troubled. This approach is re-framing the context of the sound. While the sound stays the same, your understanding of it changes from being irritating, to feeling a bit more accepting towards it.
