The Holiday Season Transforms Into a Terrifying Experience for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
One young woman anticipates spending time with her family during the festive period, but admits a key strategy she'll cope is by wearing her earplugs - notably for the main festive feast.
For the 23-year-old, this time of year is a particularly difficult time as the auditory triggers of other people chewing, sipping loudly and breathing heavily make her feel intense distress.
"There's this sensation of instant dread, my whole body will just freeze and it feels like I'm in danger, and I need to somehow control these noises."
Lottie has lived with misophonia from a young age and for her that renders the Christmas time "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to certain sounds, especially noises made by those around you.
It is prevalent amongst adults. A study reported almost one in five people experience it.
Often it's sounds associated with bodily functions that cause distress, including things like crunching, heavy breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
A Source of Dread
The sufferer notes: "There are so many various auditory triggers at Christmas and that can be daunting and make you dread it.
"My relatives are aware, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to upset others. It's like a internal conflict of enduring my distress to guarantee the event goes smoothly."
So it's clear why the traditionally happy time of the year can quickly turn into a stressful ordeal for those with the condition.
Triggers that may seem harmless, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, unwrapping gifts, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can provoke a strong emotional response that can even lead to them avoiding social settings altogether.
She, a young adult, who has experienced sound sensitivity for over a decade, explains currently her plan is to use headphones to manage the meal. Typically, she would frequently go in a separate space to avoid triggering sounds.
She says her sensitivity is more intense around people she's most comfortable with, so Christmas is always "challenging".
"People assume you to spend time with loved ones, and I want to, but it's draining.
"It's like this uncontrollable anger washes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel anxious and begin to weep and then fight-or-flight will activate.
"It can come across as if I'm being unreasonable and melodramatic, but it's hard to explain without firsthand experience."
Several Strategies to Manage
For those affected then there are various strategies you can use to handle the situation, based on advice from experts.
- Visualise a Different Scenario: Mental imagery is essential. Try to associate the specific noise bothering you with something completely different. As an illustration, try to picture someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. By doing this is to retrain your mind that the sound triggering you poses no threat.
- Try a Competition: Have a bit of fun and make the irritating noise into a game with the person. As an example, if someone is crunching loudly have a go at mimicking the sound. 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: A further strategy is to try to fabricate an explanation about why the person creating the sound is having to make that sound. So if someone was making a nasal sound, maybe they are not in good health or could be emotional. This approach is changing the meaning of the sound. Even though the noise remains identical, your understanding of it moves from being irritating, to feeling a little more neutral about it.
