Christmas Often Proves to Be a Living Hell for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
Lottie anticipates seeing her family this Christmas, but admits a primary method she'll manage to get through it is by wearing her earplugs - particularly at the main festive feast.
In her case, the holidays is a particularly difficult season as the sounds of other people chewing, slurping and breathing heavily trigger extremely uncomfortable.
"There's this wave of sudden panic, my entire being will just freeze and it feels like I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to stop these triggers."
Lottie has suffered from sound sensitivity for several years and for her that causes the festive season "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to specific noises, especially noises made by individuals.
The condition is widespread amongst adults. A study reported nearly 20% people are affected by it.
Often it's sounds associated with eating or drinking that trigger a reaction, including things like chewing, 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 understanding, but I'm very aware that I don't want to upset others. It's like a internal conflict of managing my symptoms to ensure everyone else is happy."
So it's clear why the most wonderful season can transform into a source of agony for those with the condition.
Noises that may seem harmless, like someone drinking champagne, unwrapping gifts, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can provoke a strong emotional response that can even result in them skipping events entirely.
She, a young adult, who has experienced misophonia since aged 10, states her strategy is to listen to music to cope. On any other day, she would usually isolate herself in a quiet area to escape problematic noises.
She says her condition is more intense around people she's most comfortable with, so Christmas is always "challenging".
"People assume you to socialize with family, and I desire to, but it's draining.
"It's like this intense irritation takes hold, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel panicked and burst into tears and then fight-or-flight will activate.
"It can come across as if I'm being difficult and melodramatic, but it's hard to explain if you haven't felt it."
Three Ways to Manage
If it's an issue then there are various strategies you can use to handle the situation, as suggested by experts.
- Picture Something Else: Creative thinking is essential. Try to associate the triggering sound affecting you with an unrelated image. So for example, try to picture someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. By doing this is to teach your brain that the sound affecting you poses no threat.
- Make it a Game: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a challenge with the culprit. For example, if someone is crunching loudly attempt joining in. By mimicking, rather than feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an engaged person. And the competition element should help distract your brain and make you a little less affected.
- Craft a Story: One more method is to try to fabricate an explanation about the reason someone making the noise is behaving that way. So if someone was making a nasal sound, it could be that they're not in good health or maybe they're upset. This approach is re-framing the context of the sound. Even though the sound stays the same, your interpretation of it moves from being aggravating, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.
