The Holiday Season Can Be a Nightmare for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
Lottie is looking forward to spending time with her relatives over the holidays, but says a primary method she'll manage to get through it is by using her earplugs - especially during the main festive feast.
For her, this time of year often feels like a notably tough time as the auditory triggers of other people chewing, slurping and breathing heavily make her feel intense distress.
"I get this wave of sudden panic, my whole body will just freeze and it seems as if I'm in peril, and I need to stop these triggers."
Lottie has experienced misophonia from a young age and for her that causes the festive season "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to particular auditory triggers, notably sounds made by those around you.
It's surprisingly common amongst adults. Experts discovered nearly 20% people suffer from it.
Typically it's noises associated with bodily functions that cause distress, including examples such as crunching, heavy breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
A Source of Dread
She explains: "I face so many different triggering sounds at the holidays and that can be anxiety inducing and make you dread it.
"Those close to me are understanding, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a really big battle of enduring my distress to make sure the event goes smoothly."
So it's easy to understand why the supposedly joyous period can transform into a stressful ordeal for sufferers.
Noises that may appear innocuous, like someone sipping a beverage, unwrapping gifts, or eating the holiday meal can trigger a powerful reaction that can even result in them avoiding social settings altogether.
The student, a 21-year-old student, who has struggled with misophonia since aged 10, states the approach she intends to use is to use headphones to get through dinner. On any other day, she would frequently go in a separate space to avoid distressing triggers.
She notes her misophonia is worse around people she's closest to, so Christmas is always "difficult".
"People assume you to be around family, and I desire to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"The sensation is this uncontrollable anger washes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel anxious and burst into tears and then the stress response will take over.
"To others it appears as if I'm being oversensitive and melodramatic, but it's tough to describe if you haven't felt it."
Several Strategies to Manage
For those affected then there are various strategies you can try to cope the situation, as suggested by experts.
- Picture an Alternative: Mental imagery is key. Work on connecting the particular sound affecting you with a neutral concept. As an illustration, try to envision someone's slurping is just a waterfall. By doing this is to teach your brain that the sound affecting you isn't harmful.
- Use Humor: Use lightheartedness and make the irritating noise into a competition involving the source. For example, if someone is eating noisily have a go at mimicking the sound. Through participation, rather than feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an willing part. And the challenge should help redirect your focus and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Develop a Narrative: One more method is to try to invent a reason about the reason someone making the noise is having to make that sound. So if someone was sniffing, it could be that they're not in good health or could be emotional. This approach is altering the perception of the sound. Even though the noise stays the same, your understanding of it moves from being annoying, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.
