The Holiday Season Can Be a Living Hell for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
Lottie is looking forward to being with her relatives this Christmas, but says a key strategy she'll manage to get through it is by using her noise-cancelling devices - notably for the holiday meal.
For her, Christmas can be a particularly difficult time as the auditory triggers of other people chewing, slurping and sniffling trigger extremely uncomfortable.
"I get this feeling of instant dread, my every muscle will just tense up and it as though I'm in peril, and I need to somehow control these sounds."
She has lived with this condition from a young age and for her that causes the festive season "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to specific noises, particularly those coming from other people.
The condition is widespread across the population. Researchers found almost one in five people suffer from it.
Frequently it's noises linked to bodily functions that cause distress, along with things like chewing, breathing, and foot tapping.
A Source of Dread
The sufferer notes: "You encounter so many different triggering sounds at Christmas and that can be anxiety inducing and make you dread it.
"Those close to me are supportive, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a constant struggle of managing my symptoms to make sure others enjoy themselves."
So it's obvious why the most wonderful period can rapidly become a stressful ordeal for those with the condition.
Noises that may seem harmless, like someone drinking champagne, opening presents, or eating the holiday meal can trigger a powerful reaction that can even cause them withdrawing from gatherings.
She, a university student, who has struggled with sound sensitivity since aged 10, explains currently her plan is to put her earphones in to manage the meal. Typically, she would often retreat in a separate space to avoid triggering sounds.
She notes her sensitivity is more pronounced around people she's most comfortable with, so Christmas is always "hard".
"There's an expectation to be around loved ones, and I want to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"I feel as if this intense irritation comes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel stressed and burst into tears and then fight-or-flight will take over.
"To others it appears as if I'm being oversensitive and dramatic, but it's difficult to convey if you haven't felt it."
Several Strategies to Handle It
For those affected then there are various strategies you can attempt to manage the situation, according to specialists.
- Visualise a Different Scenario: Imagination is crucial. Try to associate the particular sound bothering you with an unrelated image. As an illustration, try to picture someone's slurping is just a waterfall. This technique is to retrain your mind that the sound triggering you isn't harmful.
- Try a Competition: Introduce playfulness and turn the annoying sound into a challenge with the person. As an example, if someone is crunching loudly attempt copying the noise. Through participation, instead of feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an engaged person. And the competition element should help distract your brain and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Craft a Story: Another technique is to try to fabricate an explanation about the reason someone creating the sound is having to make that sound. For example if someone was sniffing, it could be that they're not in good health or maybe they're upset. By doing this is re-framing the context of the sound. Even though the sound remains identical, your interpretation of it changes from being annoying, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.
