Yuletide Often Proves to Be a Living Hell for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
Lottie hopes for being with her loved ones this Christmas, but says a key strategy she'll manage to get through it is by relying on her hearing protection - notably for the main festive feast.
For the 23-year-old, this time of year can be a particularly difficult season as the sounds of family members munching, drinking noisily and sniffling cause her profound anxiety.
"There's this wave of instant dread, my whole body will just freeze and it as though I'm in danger, and I need to somehow control these noises."
She has lived with sound sensitivity from a young age and for her that makes the Christmas time "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to specific noises, particularly those made by other people.
It's surprisingly common amongst adults. Experts discovered nearly 20% people experience it.
Often it's noises connected to mouth, throat or facial movements that trigger a reaction, including things like chewing, breathing, and pen clicking.
A Source of Dread
Lottie says: "I face so many different triggering sounds at the holidays and that can be daunting and make you fear it.
"My family are supportive, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a internal conflict of sacrificing my own sanity to ensure others enjoy themselves."
So it's easy to understand why the supposedly joyous time of the year can transform into a source of agony for those with the condition.
Noises that may seem harmless, like someone drinking champagne, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or eating the holiday meal can provoke a powerful reaction that can even lead to them avoiding social settings altogether.
The student, a university student, who has experienced misophonia since aged 10, explains her strategy is to listen to music to cope. On any other day, she would often retreat in a quiet area to minimize distressing triggers.
She explains her misophonia is worse around people she's closest to, so the holidays is always "challenging".
"There's an expectation to spend time with loved ones, and I want to, but it's draining.
"The sensation is this sudden rage takes hold, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel panicked and begin to weep and then panic will take over.
"It can come across as if I'm being difficult and dramatic, but it's difficult to convey unless you've experienced it."
Three Ways to Manage
If it's an issue then there are some different techniques you can use to handle the situation, as suggested by clinical psychologists.
- Picture Something Else: Mental imagery is key. Attempt to link the particular sound causing distress with something completely different. For instance, try to picture someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. By doing this is to teach your brain that the sound triggering you poses no threat.
- Make it a Game: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a game with the culprit. For example, if someone is eating noisily attempt joining in. Through participation, instead of feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an engaged person. And the challenge should help distract your brain and make you a little less affected.
- Develop a Narrative: A further strategy is to try to invent a reason about why the person making the noise is doing it. For example if someone was making a nasal sound, perhaps they're not feeling well or could be emotional. This approach is changing the meaning of the sound. While the sound doesn't change, your understanding of it changes from being irritating, to feeling a little more neutral about it.
