Yuletide Transforms Into a Nightmare for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
A 23-year-old anticipates seeing her relatives over the holidays, but says one of the only ways she'll manage to get through it is by wearing her hearing protection - notably for the main festive feast.
For her, this time of year can be a particularly difficult time as the sounds of other people chewing, sipping loudly and sniffling trigger profound anxiety.
"I get this sensation of immediate anxiety, my entire being will just freeze and it feels like I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to stop these noises."
Lottie has lived with misophonia for several years and for her that renders the festive season "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to particular auditory triggers, particularly those made by those around you.
It is prevalent amongst adults. Researchers found a significant portion of people suffer from it.
Often it's noises linked to eating or drinking that cause distress, including things like chewing, heavy breathing, and pen clicking.
Triggering Stress
She explains: "You encounter so many various auditory triggers at the holidays and that can be anxiety inducing and make you fear it.
"My relatives are aware, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a internal conflict of sacrificing my own sanity to make sure others enjoy themselves."
So it's obvious why the supposedly joyous season can rapidly become a living nightmare for those with the condition.
Noises that may be considered normal, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, opening presents, or enjoying festive food can cause a visceral feeling that can even lead to them avoiding social settings altogether.
She, a young adult, who has dealt with sound sensitivity for over a decade, explains the approach she intends to use is to put her earphones in to get through dinner. Usually, she would often retreat in a separate space to minimize distressing triggers.
She notes her condition is more intense around people she's most comfortable with, so the holidays is always "difficult".
"People assume you to socialize with loved ones, and I wish to, but it's draining.
"It's like this sudden rage takes hold, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel stressed and immediately start crying and then the stress response will take over.
"It can come across as if I'm being unreasonable and melodramatic, but it's tough to describe unless you've experienced it."
Several Strategies to Manage
If you suffer then there are various strategies you can use to handle the situation, according to experts.
- Visualise a Different Scenario: Creative thinking is essential. Work on connecting the specific noise causing distress with an unrelated image. So for example, try to picture someone's slurping is just a sink draining water. This technique is to retrain your mind that the sound affecting you is neutral.
- Try a Competition: Have a bit of fun and turn the annoying sound into a competition involving the source. For example, if someone is crunching loudly attempt copying the noise. By mimicking, instead of feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an engaged person. And the challenge should help redirect your focus and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Craft a Story: Another technique is to try to invent a reason about why the person creating the sound is having to make that sound. For example if someone was sniffing, it could be that they're not at their best or maybe they're upset. By doing this is altering the perception of the sound. Even though the noise stays the same, your reaction of it shifts from being irritating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate towards it.
