The Holiday Season Often Proves to Be a Living Hell for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
A 23-year-old anticipates being with her loved ones this Christmas, but says a primary method she'll cope is by using her earplugs - notably for Christmas dinner.
In her case, the holidays can be a especially challenging period as the sounds of family members munching, drinking noisily and breathing heavily cause her extremely uncomfortable.
"I get this sensation of immediate anxiety, my whole body will just freeze and it as though I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to somehow control these triggers."
Lottie has experienced this condition for several years and for her that makes the Christmas time "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to particular auditory triggers, notably sounds coming from those around you.
It's surprisingly common in the UK. Experts reported nearly 20% people suffer from it.
Often it's noises connected to mouth, throat or facial movements that trigger a reaction, along with things like chewing, heavy breathing, and foot tapping.
'Anxiety Inducing'
She explains: "You encounter so many various auditory triggers at the holidays and that can be anxiety inducing and make you want to avoid it.
"My family 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 guarantee everyone else is happy."
So it's easy to understand why the traditionally happy time of the year can transform into a stressful ordeal for those with the condition.
Noises that may be considered normal, like someone sipping a beverage, opening presents, or eating the holiday meal can cause a powerful reaction that can even lead to them avoiding social settings altogether.
Jenna, a 21-year-old student, who has experienced sound sensitivity from childhood, says currently her plan is to put her earphones in to manage the meal. On any other day, she would frequently go in a separate space to avoid triggering sounds.
She says her sensitivity is more intense around people she's most familiar with, so the holidays is always "challenging".
"There is pressure to spend time with family, and I want to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"The sensation is this intense irritation washes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel stressed and immediately start crying and then fight-or-flight will activate.
"To others it appears as if I'm being difficult and melodramatic, but it's hard to explain if you haven't felt it."
Several Strategies to Manage
If it's an issue then there are some different techniques you can try to cope the situation, based on advice from clinical psychologists.
- Imagine Something Else: Mental imagery is crucial. Work on connecting the specific noise affecting you with a neutral concept. For instance, try to envision someone's noisy drinking is just a waterfall. By doing this is to help your brain learn that the sound triggering you is neutral.
- Try a Competition: Have a bit of fun and turn the annoying sound into a game with the culprit. For example, if someone is eating noisily have a go at copying the noise. By joining in, rather than feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an engaged person. And the challenge should help redirect your focus and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Develop a Narrative: One more method is to try to create a little story about why the person creating the sound is doing it. For example if someone was making a nasal sound, perhaps they're not in good health or are troubled. This approach is changing the meaning of the sound. While the noise doesn't change, your understanding of it moves from being aggravating, to feeling a little more neutral towards it.
