The Holiday Season Often Proves to Be a Nightmare for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
One young woman is looking forward to seeing her loved ones this Christmas, but notes a key strategy she'll endure is by wearing her earplugs - notably for Christmas dinner.
For the 23-year-old, the holidays is a particularly difficult season as the noises of people eating, sipping loudly and sniffling cause her intense distress.
"I get this wave of immediate anxiety, my whole body will just freeze and it seems as if I'm in peril, and I need to somehow control these sounds."
Lottie has lived with misophonia since she was 16 and for her that renders the holiday period "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to certain sounds, particularly those coming from those around you.
It is prevalent amongst adults. Experts reported a significant portion of people are affected by it.
Typically it's sounds connected to mouth, throat or facial movements that lead to discomfort, as well as examples such as chewing, heavy breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
Triggering Stress
The sufferer notes: "You encounter so many various auditory triggers at Christmas and that can be anxiety inducing and make you dread it.
"My family are supportive, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to upset others. It's like a constant struggle of enduring my distress to guarantee the event goes smoothly."
So it's easy to understand why the most wonderful time of the year can rapidly become a stressful ordeal for affected individuals.
Noises that may seem harmless, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, opening presents, or enjoying festive food can trigger a powerful reaction that can even cause them withdrawing from gatherings.
The student, a university student, who has dealt with sound sensitivity for over a decade, states currently her plan is to put her earphones in to cope. Typically, she would frequently go in a different room to minimize triggering sounds.
She notes her misophonia is more intense around people she's most familiar with, so Christmas is always "difficult".
"People assume you to socialize with family, and I wish to, but it's draining.
"I feel as if this intense irritation takes hold, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel stressed and begin to weep and then panic will take over.
"It can come across as if I'm being difficult and melodramatic, but it's tough to describe without firsthand experience."
Several Strategies to Handle It
If you suffer then there are some different techniques you can attempt to manage the situation, according to specialists.
- Visualise a Different Scenario: Imagination is essential. Try to associate the particular sound causing distress with something completely different. As an illustration, try to envision someone's slurping is just a waterfall. By doing this is to help your brain learn that the sound affecting you isn't harmful.
- Make it a Game: Use lightheartedness and make the irritating noise into a competition involving the source. For instance, if someone is crunching loudly have a go at joining in. By mimicking, rather than feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an active participant. And the competition element should help redirect your focus and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Craft a Story: One more method is to try to create a little story about why the person making the noise is having to make that sound. Imagine if someone was making a nasal sound, perhaps they're not in good health or could be emotional. This approach is changing the meaning of the sound. Although the noise doesn't change, your reaction of it shifts from being aggravating, to feeling a little more neutral about it.
