Yuletide Transforms Into a Living Hell for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
A 23-year-old hopes for being with her loved ones during the festive period, but notes a primary method she'll endure is by wearing her earplugs - especially during the holiday meal.
For the 23-year-old, the holidays often feels like a notably tough period as the sounds of people eating, drinking noisily and nose-blowing trigger extremely uncomfortable.
"I experience this wave of immediate anxiety, my whole body will just tense up and it as though I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to manage these sounds."
Lottie has suffered from misophonia from a young age and for her that causes the Christmas time "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to particular auditory triggers, particularly those made by individuals.
The condition is widespread across the population. Experts reported a significant portion of people experience it.
Frequently it's sounds linked to bodily functions that trigger a reaction, along with examples such as crunching, heavy breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
A Source of Dread
She explains: "There are so many assorted problematic noises at the holidays and that can be stressful and make you fear it.
"My family are aware, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a constant struggle of enduring my distress to make sure everyone else is happy."
So it's obvious why the supposedly joyous time of the year can rapidly become a stressful ordeal for sufferers.
Sounds that may seem harmless, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or eating the holiday meal can trigger a visceral feeling that can even result in them skipping events entirely.
She, a university student, who has experienced misophonia for over a decade, explains the approach she intends to use is to listen to music to get through dinner. Usually, she would usually isolate herself in a quiet area to minimize distressing triggers.
She explains her sensitivity is more pronounced around people she's most comfortable with, so the holidays is always "difficult".
"There is pressure to be around loved ones, and I wish to, but it's draining.
"The sensation is this uncontrollable anger comes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel anxious and immediately start crying and then fight-or-flight will kick in.
"It can come across as if I'm being unreasonable and melodramatic, but it's tough to describe without firsthand experience."
Three Ways to Cope
For those affected then there are a few methods you can use to handle the situation, as suggested by experts.
- Picture an Alternative: Imagination is crucial. Try to associate the particular sound causing distress with a neutral concept. For instance, try to envision someone's noisy drinking is just a waterfall. This technique is to teach your brain that the sound triggering you is neutral.
- Try a Competition: Use lightheartedness and turn the annoying sound into a competition with the culprit. For instance, if someone is eating noisily attempt mimicking the sound. By mimicking, rather than feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an willing part. And the challenge should help redirect your focus and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Develop a Narrative: Another technique is to try to fabricate an explanation about why the person making the noise is doing it. For example if someone was making a nasal sound, it could be that they're not feeling well or could be emotional. By doing this is re-framing the context of the sound. Even though the noise stays the same, your interpretation of it changes from being aggravating, to feeling a bit more accepting towards it.
