The Holiday Season Often Proves to Be a Terrifying Experience for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
Lottie is looking forward to being with her family during the festive period, but says a primary method she'll cope is by wearing her noise-cancelling devices - especially during the main festive feast.
For the 23-year-old, the holidays can be a particularly difficult season as the auditory triggers of family members munching, sipping loudly and breathing heavily make her feel extremely uncomfortable.
"I experience this wave of sudden panic, my every muscle 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 this condition since she was 16 and for her that makes the Christmas time "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to particular auditory triggers, particularly those produced by other people.
It is prevalent amongst adults. Researchers discovered nearly 20% people are affected by it.
Frequently it's noises linked to eating or drinking that lead to discomfort, along with things like crunching, heavy breathing, and foot tapping.
A Source of Dread
The sufferer notes: "There are so many assorted problematic noises at Christmas and that can be anxiety inducing and make you want to avoid it.
"My relatives are understanding, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to upset others. It's like a constant struggle of managing my symptoms to ensure the event goes smoothly."
So it's clear why the traditionally happy period can transform into a stressful ordeal for affected individuals.
Triggers that may seem harmless, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, unwrapping gifts, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can trigger a visceral feeling that can even result in them skipping events entirely.
The student, a 21-year-old student, who has struggled with sound sensitivity from childhood, explains the approach she intends to use is to put her earphones in to manage the meal. Typically, she would frequently go in a separate space to avoid triggering sounds.
She notes her condition is more intense around people she's closest to, so Christmas is always "difficult".
"There's an expectation to be around loved ones, and I wish to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"The sensation is this intense irritation washes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel stressed and burst into tears and then fight-or-flight will take over.
"It may seem as if I'm being difficult and dramatic, but it's tough to describe without firsthand experience."
Several Strategies to Handle It
For those affected then there are a few methods you can try to cope the situation, based on advice from experts.
- Visualise a Different Scenario: Creative thinking is essential. Work on connecting the triggering sound bothering you with an unrelated image. So for example, try to imagine someone's slurping is just a sink draining water. By doing this is to help your brain learn that the sound affecting you isn't harmful.
- Use Humor: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a challenge with the culprit. For instance, if someone is eating noisily attempt mimicking the sound. Through participation, rather than feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an active participant. And the competition element should help distract your brain and make you a little less affected.
- Craft a Story: Another technique is to try to invent a reason about why the person creating the sound is doing it. So if someone was making a nasal sound, maybe they are not at their best or are troubled. This approach is changing the meaning of the sound. While the noise remains identical, your interpretation of it shifts from being irritating, to feeling a little more neutral towards it.
