Christmas Transforms Into a Nightmare for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
One young woman is looking forward to seeing her loved ones over the holidays, but admits a key strategy she'll manage to get through it is by wearing her noise-cancelling devices - notably for the main festive feast.
In her case, the holidays can be a especially challenging period as the auditory triggers of family members munching, slurping and nose-blowing make her feel profound anxiety.
"I experience this feeling of sudden panic, my every muscle will just tense up and it as though I'm in peril, and I need to somehow control these noises."
Lottie has lived with sound sensitivity for several years and for her that makes the holiday period "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to certain sounds, particularly those produced by those around you.
It's surprisingly common across the population. A study reported almost one in five people experience it.
Frequently it's noises connected to eating or drinking that trigger a reaction, including things like chewing, breathing, and pen clicking.
A Source of Dread
The sufferer notes: "I face so many various auditory triggers at the holidays and that can be daunting and make you dread it.
"Those close to me are aware, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a constant struggle of sacrificing my own sanity to ensure the event goes smoothly."
So it's clear why the supposedly joyous period can quickly turn into a stressful ordeal for affected individuals.
Triggers that may seem harmless, like someone sipping a beverage, unwrapping gifts, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can trigger a strong emotional response that can even lead to them withdrawing from gatherings.
Jenna, a university student, who has dealt with sound sensitivity from childhood, says the approach she intends to use is to use headphones to cope. On any other day, she would usually isolate herself in a separate space to avoid distressing triggers.
She explains her misophonia is worse around people she's closest to, so the holidays is always "difficult".
"People assume you to be around family, and I wish to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"I feel as if this intense irritation comes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel stressed and begin to weep and then fight-or-flight will take over.
"It can come across as if I'm being difficult and overreacting, but it's difficult to convey if you haven't felt it."
Several Strategies to Cope
If you suffer then there are various strategies you can try to cope the situation, based on advice from specialists.
- Visualise an Alternative: Mental imagery is crucial. Work on connecting the particular sound affecting you with an unrelated image. For instance, try to picture someone's slurping is just a waterfall. By doing this is to retrain your mind that the sound affecting you poses no threat.
- Use Humor: Introduce playfulness and turn the annoying sound into a challenge with the culprit. For example, if someone is crunching loudly have a go at mimicking the sound. Through participation, rather than feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an active participant. And the game aspect should help redirect your focus and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Create a Scenario: Another technique is to try to invent a reason about the reason someone creating the sound is having to make that sound. So if someone was making a nasal sound, maybe they are not at their best or maybe they're upset. The idea is altering the perception of the sound. While the noise stays the same, your reaction of it moves from being annoying, to feeling a little more neutral towards it.
