Yuletide Often Proves to Be a Terrifying Experience for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
One young woman hopes for seeing her loved ones during the festive period, but says one of the only ways she'll cope is by relying on her noise-cancelling devices - notably for the holiday meal.
For the 23-year-old, the holidays is a especially challenging season as the auditory triggers of family members munching, slurping and breathing heavily cause her extremely uncomfortable.
"There's this wave of sudden panic, my entire being will just freeze and it feels like I'm in danger, and I need to somehow control these noises."
Lottie has lived with misophonia from a young age and for her that causes the holiday period "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to particular auditory triggers, especially noises coming from other people.
It is prevalent in the UK. A study found a significant portion of people are affected by it.
Often it's noises connected to eating or drinking that trigger a reaction, as well as things like chewing, heavy breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
'Anxiety Inducing'
The sufferer notes: "You encounter so many different triggering sounds at the holidays and that can be stressful and make you dread it.
"My family are aware, but I'm very mindful 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 supposedly joyous time of the year can transform into a stressful ordeal for those with the condition.
Noises that may appear innocuous, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, unwrapping gifts, or eating the holiday meal can trigger a strong emotional response that can even cause them skipping events entirely.
Jenna, a university student, who has struggled with sound sensitivity for over a decade, states currently her plan is to put her earphones in to get through dinner. On any other day, she would frequently go in a different room to avoid distressing triggers.
She notes her misophonia is worse around people she's closest to, so Christmas is always "difficult".
"There is pressure to spend time with family, and I want to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"It's like this sudden rage takes hold, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel panicked and immediately start crying and then fight-or-flight will take over.
"To others it appears as if I'm being unreasonable and overreacting, but it's difficult to convey without firsthand experience."
Several Strategies to Handle It
If it's an issue then there are various strategies you can use to handle the situation, based on advice from specialists.
- Imagine a Different Scenario: Imagination is crucial. Try to associate the particular sound bothering you with an unrelated image. So for example, try to envision someone's noisy drinking is just a sink draining water. By doing this is to retrain your mind that the sound affecting you isn't harmful.
- Use Humor: Have a bit of fun and make the irritating noise into a game with the person. For example, if someone is eating noisily attempt copying the noise. By joining in, rather than feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an willing part. And the challenge should help distract your brain and make you a little less affected.
- Craft a Story: A further strategy is to try to fabricate an explanation about the reason someone making the noise is having to make that sound. For example if someone was making a nasal sound, maybe they are not feeling well or could be emotional. By doing this is altering the perception of the sound. Even though the sound doesn't change, your reaction of it shifts from being irritating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate towards it.
