Christmas Can Be a Terrifying Experience for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
One young woman hopes for being with her family during the festive period, but says a primary method she'll endure is by relying on her hearing protection - particularly at Christmas dinner.
For her, this time of year often feels like a notably tough period as the sounds of people eating, drinking noisily and sniffling cause her intense distress.
"There's this feeling of immediate anxiety, my whole body will just tense up and it feels like I'm in peril, and I need to manage these noises."
She has suffered from this condition for several years and for her that makes the Christmas time "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to certain sounds, notably sounds coming from other people.
It is prevalent in the UK. Researchers discovered nearly 20% people are affected by it.
Typically it's noises connected to eating or drinking that lead to discomfort, along with things like crunching, breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
A Source of Dread
Lottie says: "You encounter so many different triggering sounds at the holidays and that can be stressful and make you dread it.
"Those close to me are aware, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a really big battle of managing my symptoms to make sure everyone else is happy."
So it's easy to understand why the most wonderful period can transform into a stressful ordeal for sufferers.
Triggers that may be considered normal, like someone drinking champagne, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or eating the holiday meal can trigger a powerful reaction that can even cause them withdrawing from gatherings.
The student, a young adult, who has struggled with sound sensitivity from childhood, explains the approach she intends to use is to use headphones to cope. Typically, she would usually isolate herself in a different room to escape problematic noises.
She says her misophonia is worse around people she's closest to, so the holidays is always "difficult".
"There's an expectation to spend time with loved ones, and I wish to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"The sensation is this sudden rage takes hold, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel anxious and immediately start crying and then fight-or-flight will activate.
"It can come across as if I'm being difficult and overreacting, but it's hard to explain if you haven't felt it."
Several Strategies to Handle It
If it's an issue then there are various strategies you can try to cope the situation, as suggested by clinical psychologists.
- Visualise a Different Scenario: Mental imagery is essential. Attempt to link the triggering sound causing distress with something completely different. For instance, try to envision someone's noisy drinking is just a waterfall. The goal is to retrain your mind 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 try mimicking the sound. Through participation, instead of feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an active participant. And the competition element should help distract your brain and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Develop a Narrative: Another technique is to try to invent a reason about the reason someone creating the sound is doing it. For example if someone was making a nasal sound, perhaps they're not at their best or could be emotional. This approach is re-framing the context of the sound. Although the noise remains identical, your reaction of it moves from being annoying, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.
