Christmas Transforms Into a Living Hell for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
A 23-year-old is looking forward to spending time with her family this Christmas, but admits a key strategy she'll cope is by relying on her noise-cancelling devices - especially during the main festive feast.
In her case, this time of year can be a especially challenging time as the auditory triggers of family members munching, drinking noisily and nose-blowing trigger extremely uncomfortable.
"I experience this sensation of instant dread, my entire being will just tense up and it seems as if I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to manage these noises."
The individual has experienced misophonia for several years and for her that makes the holiday period "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to certain sounds, notably sounds made by other people.
It is prevalent amongst adults. A study discovered nearly 20% people experience it.
Often it's noises connected to eating or drinking that cause distress, as well as examples such as chewing, breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
'Anxiety Inducing'
Lottie says: "There are so many different triggering sounds at Christmas and that can be stressful and make you fear it.
"My family are aware, but I'm very aware that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a constant struggle of managing my symptoms to ensure the event goes smoothly."
So it's easy to understand why the traditionally happy season can rapidly become a living nightmare for affected individuals.
Sounds that may be considered normal, like someone drinking champagne, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or enjoying festive food can provoke a visceral feeling that can even lead to them avoiding social settings altogether.
She, a 21-year-old student, who has experienced sound sensitivity since aged 10, states her strategy is to listen to music to manage the meal. On any other day, she would usually isolate herself in a different room to escape triggering sounds.
She notes her condition is more pronounced around people she's most familiar with, so the holidays is always "difficult".
"People assume you to be around family, and I wish to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"I feel as if this uncontrollable anger comes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel stressed and burst into tears and then panic will activate.
"To others it appears as if I'm being unreasonable and dramatic, but it's hard to explain unless you've experienced it."
A Few Techniques to Handle It
If it's an issue then there are some different techniques you can use to handle the situation, based on advice from clinical psychologists.
- Imagine an Alternative: Creative thinking is key. Work on connecting the specific noise causing distress with something completely different. So for example, try to picture someone's slurping is just a gentle stream. By doing this is to help your brain learn that the sound affecting you isn't harmful.
- Use Humor: Introduce playfulness and turn the annoying sound into a challenge involving the source. For instance, if someone is eating noisily have a go at copying the noise. By joining in, rather than feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an active participant. And the competition element should help distract your brain and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Craft a Story: One more method is to try to fabricate an explanation about the reason someone making the noise is having to make that sound. Imagine if someone was making a nasal sound, it could be that they're not in good health or are troubled. This approach is re-framing the context of the sound. Although the sound remains identical, your understanding of it changes from being aggravating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate towards it.
