Yuletide Often Proves to Be a Living Hell for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
Lottie hopes for seeing her loved ones over the holidays, but notes one of the only ways she'll endure is by using her noise-cancelling devices - notably for the main festive feast.
For her, Christmas is a especially challenging time as the noises of family members munching, sipping loudly and breathing heavily trigger intense distress.
"I get this feeling of instant dread, my whole body will just freeze and it feels like I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to stop these noises."
The individual has suffered from misophonia for several years and for her that makes the festive season "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to particular auditory triggers, particularly those produced by those around you.
It is prevalent in the UK. Experts discovered almost one in five people experience it.
Often it's sounds connected to eating or drinking that lead to discomfort, including examples such as crunching, breathing, and foot tapping.
A Source of Dread
Lottie says: "You encounter so many various auditory triggers at the holidays and that can be stressful and make you want to avoid it.
"Those close to me are supportive, but I'm very aware that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a internal conflict of sacrificing my own sanity to make sure the event goes smoothly."
So it's obvious why the supposedly joyous time of the year can quickly turn into a living nightmare for sufferers.
Sounds that may seem harmless, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or enjoying festive food can cause a visceral feeling that can even cause them skipping events entirely.
Jenna, a young adult, who has experienced sound sensitivity from childhood, says the approach she intends to use is to use headphones to get through dinner. Usually, she would usually isolate herself in a separate space to avoid distressing triggers.
She says her misophonia is worse around people she's most comfortable with, so Christmas is always "hard".
"People assume you to socialize with family, and I desire to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"I feel as if this uncontrollable anger takes hold, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel panicked and burst into tears and then panic will kick in.
"To others it appears as if I'm being unreasonable and overreacting, but it's hard to explain unless you've experienced it."
Three Ways to Cope
For those affected then there are a few methods you can try to cope the situation, as suggested by specialists.
- Imagine a Different Scenario: Imagination is key. Try to associate the particular sound bothering you with a neutral concept. So for example, try to picture someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. This technique is to help your brain learn that the sound affecting you isn't harmful.
- Make it a Game: Use lightheartedness and turn the annoying sound into a competition with the culprit. For instance, if someone is eating noisily have a go at joining in. By joining in, instead of feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an engaged person. And the challenge should help distract your brain and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Develop a Narrative: Another technique is to try to invent a reason about the reason someone creating the sound is having to make that sound. Imagine if someone was making a nasal sound, it could be that they're not at their best or are troubled. This approach is re-framing the context of the sound. Although the noise remains identical, your interpretation of it shifts from being aggravating, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.
