The Holiday Season Can Be a Terrifying Experience for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
Lottie anticipates seeing her family during the festive period, but notes a key strategy she'll cope is by using her noise-cancelling devices - especially during the main festive feast.
In her case, the holidays is a particularly difficult season as the noises of family members munching, sipping loudly and breathing heavily cause her profound anxiety.
"I get this wave of instant dread, my entire being will just tighten and it as though I'm in danger, and I need to somehow control these triggers."
She has experienced sound sensitivity from a young age and for her that renders the Christmas time "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to specific noises, especially noises made by those around you.
The condition is widespread in the UK. Experts discovered nearly 20% people experience it.
Typically it's noises connected to bodily functions that lead to discomfort, along with things like chewing, heavy breathing, and foot tapping.
Triggering Stress
She explains: "There are so many assorted problematic noises at Christmas and that can be anxiety inducing 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 everyone else is happy."
So it's easy to understand why the traditionally happy period can quickly turn into a source of agony for those with the condition.
Triggers that may be considered normal, like someone drinking champagne, opening presents, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can cause a strong emotional response that can even cause them skipping events entirely.
Jenna, a young adult, who has struggled with misophonia since aged 10, states the approach she intends to use is to listen to music to get through dinner. On any other day, she would frequently go in a quiet area to minimize triggering sounds.
She says her sensitivity is more pronounced around people she's most comfortable with, so Christmas is always "difficult".
"There is pressure to socialize with family, and I wish to, but it's draining.
"The sensation is this uncontrollable anger takes hold, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel panicked and begin to weep and then fight-or-flight will activate.
"To others it appears as if I'm being difficult and dramatic, but it's hard to explain if you haven't felt it."
A Few Techniques to Handle It
If you suffer then there are a few methods you can use to handle the situation, based on advice from clinical psychologists.
- Imagine a Different Scenario: Imagination is essential. Work on connecting the particular sound affecting you with a neutral concept. So for example, try to envision someone's slurping is just a waterfall. This technique is to retrain your mind that the sound triggering you is neutral.
- Use Humor: Use lightheartedness and turn the annoying sound into a competition with the culprit. For instance, if someone is crunching loudly try joining in. By joining in, rather than feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an active participant. And the game aspect should help redirect your focus and make you a little less affected.
- Craft a Story: Another technique is to try to invent a reason about the reason someone making the noise is behaving that way. Imagine if someone was making a nasal sound, maybe they are not feeling well or are troubled. This approach is changing the meaning of the sound. Even though the sound remains identical, your understanding of it shifts from being annoying, to feeling a bit more accepting towards it.
