Christmas Often Proves to Be a Terrifying Experience for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
Lottie is looking forward to seeing her loved ones over the holidays, but notes a primary method she'll endure is by relying on her hearing protection - particularly at Christmas dinner.
For the 23-year-old, Christmas is a particularly difficult period as the sounds of other people chewing, drinking noisily and breathing heavily trigger profound anxiety.
"There's this sensation of instant dread, my entire being will just freeze and it feels like I'm in peril, and I need to manage these sounds."
Lottie has suffered from this condition for several years and for her that causes the holiday period "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to particular auditory triggers, particularly those coming from those around you.
The condition is widespread amongst adults. A study reported almost one in five people suffer from it.
Frequently it's noises associated with bodily functions that cause distress, including examples such as crunching, breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
Triggering Stress
The sufferer notes: "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 aware that I don't want to upset others. It's like a really big battle of managing my symptoms to ensure everyone else is happy."
So it's obvious why the most wonderful season can quickly turn into a source of agony for those with the condition.
Noises that may appear innocuous, like someone drinking champagne, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or enjoying festive food can trigger a visceral feeling that can even result in them skipping events entirely.
She, a 21-year-old student, who has experienced misophonia from childhood, states her strategy is to put her earphones in to cope. Typically, she would often retreat in a quiet area to minimize problematic noises.
She notes her condition is more intense around people she's closest to, so Christmas is always "challenging".
"People assume you to spend time with family, and I desire to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"It's like this uncontrollable anger takes hold, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel panicked and immediately start crying and then the stress response will activate.
"It may seem as if I'm being difficult and overreacting, but it's tough to describe unless you've experienced it."
Three Ways to Manage
If you suffer then there are some different techniques you can use to handle the situation, according to clinical psychologists.
- Picture a Different Scenario: Creative thinking is crucial. Try to associate the triggering sound bothering you with something completely different. As an illustration, try to picture someone's slurping is just a sink draining water. By doing this is to teach your brain that the sound affecting you poses no threat.
- Try a Competition: Introduce playfulness and turn the annoying sound into a competition with the culprit. For instance, if someone is crunching loudly try joining in. By mimicking, rather than feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an engaged person. And the competition element should help distract your brain and make you a little less affected.
- Craft a Story: One more method 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 making a nasal sound, maybe they are not at their best or could be emotional. This approach is altering the perception of the sound. While the sound stays the same, your reaction of it moves from being annoying, to feeling a little more neutral towards it.
