Christmas Often Proves to Be a Nightmare for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
Lottie hopes for being with her family this Christmas, but admits a primary method she'll manage to get through it is by using her noise-cancelling devices - especially during the holiday meal.
In her case, Christmas can be a particularly difficult season as the sounds of people eating, slurping and nose-blowing trigger intense distress.
"There's this feeling of immediate anxiety, my entire being will just tense up and it feels like I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to stop these sounds."
She has lived with sound sensitivity since she was 16 and for her that makes the festive season "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to particular auditory triggers, particularly those produced by those around you.
It is prevalent across the population. Experts discovered almost one in five people are affected by it.
Typically it's sounds linked to eating or drinking that cause distress, as well as things like chewing, breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
'Anxiety Inducing'
Lottie says: "There are so many various auditory triggers at Christmas and that can be daunting and make you want to avoid it.
"My family are understanding, but I'm very aware 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 period can transform into a living nightmare for those with the condition.
Sounds that may be considered normal, like someone drinking champagne, unwrapping gifts, or eating the holiday meal can cause a strong emotional response that can even lead to them skipping events entirely.
She, a university student, who has dealt with sound sensitivity from childhood, states her strategy is to listen to music to cope. On any other day, she would frequently go in a separate space to minimize problematic noises.
She says her sensitivity is worse around people she's closest to, so Christmas is always "challenging".
"There is pressure to be around loved ones, and I want to, but it's draining.
"I feel as if this uncontrollable anger washes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel anxious and begin to weep and then the stress response will take over.
"It may seem as if I'm being difficult and melodramatic, but it's hard to explain unless you've experienced it."
A Few Techniques to Handle It
If it's an issue then there are a few methods you can use to handle the situation, based on advice from clinical psychologists.
- Visualise Something Else: Mental imagery is essential. Work on connecting the particular sound causing distress with a neutral concept. For instance, try to envision someone's slurping is just a gentle stream. The goal is to teach your brain that the sound triggering you is neutral.
- Use Humor: 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 joining in. By mimicking, instead of feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an engaged person. And the challenge should help redirect your focus and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Create a Scenario: Another technique is to try to fabricate an explanation about the reason someone creating the sound is doing it. So if someone was making a nasal sound, perhaps they're not feeling well or maybe they're upset. The idea is altering the perception of the sound. While the noise stays the same, your reaction of it changes from being annoying, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.
