Christmas Often Proves to Be a Terrifying Experience for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
Lottie hopes for spending time with her relatives during the festive period, but admits a key strategy she'll manage to get through it is by relying on her hearing protection - especially during the main festive feast.
For the 23-year-old, Christmas can be a notably tough time as the auditory triggers of family members munching, slurping and sniffling trigger profound anxiety.
"I experience this wave of instant dread, my every muscle will just freeze and it seems as if I'm in danger, and I need to stop these sounds."
Lottie has lived with misophonia since she was 16 and for her that makes the holiday period "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to particular auditory triggers, particularly those produced by other people.
It's surprisingly common amongst adults. Researchers found a significant portion of people suffer from it.
Frequently it's sounds connected to bodily functions that trigger a reaction, along with things like crunching, breathing, and pen clicking.
'Anxiety Inducing'
The sufferer notes: "I face so many assorted problematic noises at the holidays and that can be stressful and make you fear it.
"My family are aware, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a internal conflict of managing my symptoms to guarantee the event goes smoothly."
So it's obvious why the most wonderful period can quickly turn into a stressful ordeal for those with the condition.
Sounds that may be considered normal, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can cause a powerful reaction that can even lead to them avoiding social settings altogether.
Jenna, a young adult, who has dealt with sound sensitivity from childhood, states her strategy is to listen to music to cope. On any other day, she would often retreat in a different room to escape distressing triggers.
She says her misophonia is more pronounced around people she's closest to, so Christmas is always "difficult".
"People assume you to socialize with loved ones, and I wish to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"It's like this uncontrollable anger comes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel anxious and immediately start crying and then the stress response will kick in.
"It can come across as if I'm being unreasonable and dramatic, but it's tough to describe without firsthand experience."
A Few Techniques to Handle It
For those affected then there are various strategies you can attempt to manage the situation, based on advice from experts.
- Imagine a Different Scenario: Mental imagery is key. Attempt to link the triggering sound causing distress with a neutral concept. As an illustration, try to picture someone's noisy drinking is just a sink draining water. By doing this is to help your brain learn that the sound triggering you isn't harmful.
- Try a Competition: Use lightheartedness and turn the annoying sound into a game with the person. As an example, if someone is crunching loudly attempt copying the noise. By joining in, rather than feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an willing part. And the challenge should help shift your attention and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Create a Scenario: One more method is to try to create a little story about why the person making the noise is doing it. For example if someone was making a nasal sound, maybe they are not at their best or could be emotional. The idea is changing the meaning of the sound. While the noise remains identical, your reaction of it moves from being aggravating, to feeling a little more neutral about it.
