Christmas Transforms Into a Nightmare for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
A 23-year-old hopes for seeing her family this Christmas, but admits a primary method she'll cope is by relying on her earplugs - particularly at the holiday meal.
For her, this time of year is a notably tough period as the noises of other people chewing, slurping and breathing heavily make her feel intense distress.
"There's this wave of sudden panic, my entire being will just freeze and it seems as if I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to somehow control these noises."
Lottie has suffered from sound sensitivity from a young age and for her that renders the festive season "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to certain sounds, especially noises coming from other people.
It is prevalent across the population. A study discovered almost one in five people experience it.
Often it's noises associated with bodily functions that trigger a reaction, as well as examples such as crunching, heavy breathing, and pen clicking.
'Anxiety Inducing'
She explains: "You encounter so many different triggering sounds at the holidays and that can be anxiety inducing and make you fear it.
"My family are supportive, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a really big battle of enduring my distress to ensure others enjoy themselves."
So it's obvious why the supposedly joyous period can quickly turn into a source of agony for those with the condition.
Triggers that may appear innocuous, like someone drinking champagne, opening presents, or enjoying festive food can cause a powerful reaction that can even lead to them withdrawing from gatherings.
The student, a university student, who has dealt with misophonia from childhood, says currently her plan is to use headphones to get through dinner. On any other day, she would usually isolate herself in a different room to minimize distressing triggers.
She notes her misophonia is more pronounced around people she's closest to, so the holidays is always "hard".
"There's an expectation to be around loved ones, and I want to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"The sensation is this sudden rage takes hold, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel panicked and burst into tears and then the stress response will activate.
"It may seem as if I'm being oversensitive and dramatic, but it's tough to describe without firsthand experience."
A Few Techniques to Manage
If you suffer then there are a few methods you can use to handle the situation, based on advice from specialists.
- Picture a Different Scenario: Creative thinking is key. Work on connecting the specific noise affecting you with an unrelated image. So for example, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a sink draining water. The goal is to teach your brain that the sound affecting you isn't harmful.
- Try a Competition: Introduce playfulness and turn the annoying sound into a competition with the culprit. For instance, if someone is crunching loudly attempt mimicking the sound. By mimicking, rather than feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an active participant. And the competition element should help redirect your focus and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Craft a Story: Another technique is to try to create a little story about the reason someone creating the sound is behaving that way. For example if someone was making a nasal sound, perhaps they're not at their best or could be emotional. By doing this is changing the meaning of the sound. Even though the noise doesn't change, your understanding of it moves from being irritating, to feeling a little more neutral about it.
