Yuletide Transforms Into a Terrifying Experience for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
Lottie hopes for seeing her relatives this Christmas, but notes a primary method she'll endure is by relying on her hearing protection - particularly at the main festive feast.
For her, Christmas can be a especially challenging season as the auditory triggers of family members munching, slurping and sniffling make her feel intense distress.
"I experience this sensation of sudden panic, my every muscle will just tense up and it as though I'm in danger, and I need to stop these triggers."
The individual has lived with sound sensitivity since she was 16 and for her that renders the festive season "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to certain sounds, particularly those made by individuals.
It is prevalent amongst adults. A study discovered a significant portion of people are affected by it.
Frequently it's sounds linked to bodily functions that cause distress, along with examples such as crunching, breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
A Source of Dread
Lottie says: "I face so many different triggering sounds at the holidays and that can be anxiety inducing and make you want to avoid it.
"Those close to me are aware, but I'm very aware that I don't want to upset others. It's like a really big battle of enduring my distress to guarantee others enjoy themselves."
So it's clear why the supposedly joyous period can quickly turn into a stressful ordeal for affected individuals.
Sounds that may be considered normal, like someone drinking champagne, opening presents, or enjoying festive food can cause a visceral feeling that can even lead to them withdrawing from gatherings.
She, a university student, who has struggled with misophonia for over a decade, says her strategy is to use headphones to get through dinner. Usually, she would frequently go in a quiet area to minimize triggering sounds.
She notes her sensitivity is worse around people she's most comfortable with, so the holidays is always "hard".
"There is pressure to be around family, and I wish to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"It's like this uncontrollable anger washes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel panicked and burst into tears and then the stress response will kick in.
"To others it appears as if I'm being oversensitive and melodramatic, but it's hard to explain unless you've experienced it."
A Few Techniques to Handle It
For those affected then there are a few methods you can try to cope the situation, according to specialists.
- Picture Something Else: Mental imagery is crucial. Try to associate the specific noise affecting you with a neutral concept. So for example, try to imagine someone's slurping is just a sink draining water. This technique is to teach your brain that the sound affecting you poses no threat.
- Try a Competition: Introduce playfulness and turn the annoying sound into a competition with the culprit. As an example, if someone is crunching loudly attempt joining in. Through participation, rather than feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an engaged person. And the competition element 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 why the person creating the sound is doing it. Imagine if someone was making a nasal sound, maybe they are not at their best or are troubled. The idea is re-framing the context of the sound. Even though the noise doesn't change, your interpretation of it changes from being aggravating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate about it.
