The Holiday Season Can Be a Terrifying Experience for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
Lottie hopes for being with her loved ones during the festive period, but says one of the only ways she'll cope is by using her earplugs - especially during the main festive feast.
In her case, this time of year is a notably tough period as the auditory triggers of people eating, drinking noisily and breathing heavily make her feel intense distress.
"There's this sensation of immediate anxiety, my whole body will just tighten and it as though I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to stop these sounds."
Lottie has experienced sound sensitivity for several years and for her that renders the Christmas time "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to particular auditory triggers, particularly those made by other people.
It is prevalent amongst adults. Researchers found nearly 20% people are affected by it.
Frequently it's noises connected to mouth, throat or facial movements that cause distress, along with examples such as chewing, heavy breathing, and pen clicking.
Triggering Stress
The sufferer notes: "I face so many various auditory triggers at Christmas and that can be anxiety inducing and make you want to avoid it.
"My family are supportive, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a internal conflict of enduring my distress to make sure everyone else is happy."
So it's obvious why the supposedly joyous period can rapidly become a stressful ordeal for those with the condition.
Triggers that may appear innocuous, like someone drinking champagne, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can cause a strong emotional response that can even cause them skipping events entirely.
Jenna, a university student, who has dealt with sound sensitivity from childhood, says the approach she intends to use is to use headphones to manage the meal. Usually, she would frequently go in a separate space to minimize triggering sounds.
She notes her sensitivity is more intense around people she's most comfortable with, so the holidays is always "hard".
"There is pressure to spend time with family, and I wish to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"The sensation is this sudden rage comes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel panicked and burst into tears and then panic will take over.
"It can come across as if I'm being difficult and overreacting, but it's hard to explain if you haven't felt it."
A Few Techniques to Cope
If it's an issue then there are a few methods you can use to handle the situation, as suggested by experts.
- Picture a Different Scenario: Mental imagery is key. Attempt to link the specific noise bothering you with an unrelated image. For instance, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a waterfall. The goal is to retrain your mind that the sound triggering you poses no threat.
- Use Humor: Introduce playfulness and turn the annoying sound into a challenge with the culprit. As an example, if someone is eating noisily try mimicking the sound. By mimicking, instead of feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an willing part. And the challenge should help redirect your focus and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Develop a Narrative: A further strategy is to try to invent a reason about why the person creating the sound is having to make that sound. For example if someone was sniffing, perhaps they're not at their best or could be emotional. This approach is altering the perception of the sound. Even though the noise remains identical, your interpretation of it moves from being annoying, to feeling a little more neutral about it.
