Christmas Can Be a Nightmare for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
A 23-year-old anticipates spending time with her relatives this Christmas, but admits one of the only ways she'll endure is by wearing her earplugs - notably for the holiday meal.
In her case, the holidays often feels like a especially challenging season as the noises of other people chewing, slurping and nose-blowing trigger intense distress.
"I experience this sensation of sudden panic, my whole body will just tense up and it feels like I'm in peril, and I need to stop these triggers."
Lottie has lived with misophonia from a young age and for her that makes the Christmas time "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to specific noises, especially noises coming from other people.
It is prevalent in the UK. A study found almost one in five people suffer from it.
Typically it's sounds linked to eating or drinking that lead to discomfort, as well as things like chewing, heavy breathing, and pen clicking.
Triggering Stress
Lottie says: "I face so many different triggering sounds at Christmas and that can be stressful and make you fear it.
"Those close to me are supportive, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to upset others. It's like a internal conflict of sacrificing my own sanity to ensure everyone else is happy."
So it's clear why the supposedly joyous period can quickly turn into a stressful ordeal for affected individuals.
Sounds that may appear innocuous, like someone drinking champagne, opening presents, or eating the holiday meal can cause a strong emotional response that can even lead to them avoiding social settings altogether.
She, a young adult, who has dealt with sound sensitivity from childhood, explains the approach she intends to use is to put her earphones in to manage the meal. Usually, she would frequently go in a different room to avoid triggering sounds.
She says her misophonia is worse around people she's most familiar with, so Christmas is always "challenging".
"There's an expectation to spend time with loved ones, and I desire to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"It's like this uncontrollable anger takes hold, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel anxious and begin to weep and then fight-or-flight will take over.
"It may seem as if I'm being unreasonable and overreacting, but it's tough to describe unless you've experienced it."
Three Ways to Cope
For those affected then there are some different techniques you can try to cope the situation, as suggested by experts.
- Picture an Alternative: Creative thinking is essential. Work on connecting the particular sound affecting you with something completely different. As an illustration, try to envision someone's noisy drinking is just a waterfall. This technique is to retrain your mind that the sound affecting you poses no threat.
- Use Humor: Use lightheartedness and turn the annoying sound into a game with the culprit. As an example, if someone is eating noisily attempt copying the noise. Through participation, rather than feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an engaged person. And the competition element should help redirect your focus and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Craft a Story: Another technique is to try to fabricate an explanation about the reason someone making the noise is behaving that way. Imagine if someone was sniffing, perhaps they're not feeling well or could be emotional. The idea is changing the meaning of the sound. Although the sound stays the same, your understanding of it moves from being annoying, to feeling a slightly more compassionate about it.
