Christmas Can Be a Living Hell for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
One young woman anticipates seeing her family over the holidays, but notes a primary method she'll endure is by relying on her noise-cancelling devices - particularly at Christmas dinner.
For the 23-year-old, this time of year is a notably tough period as the auditory triggers of people eating, slurping and breathing heavily make her feel profound anxiety.
"There's this sensation of sudden panic, my entire being will just tighten and it as though I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to somehow control these triggers."
She has lived with this condition since she was 16 and for her that causes the festive season "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to certain sounds, notably sounds coming from those around you.
It's surprisingly common amongst adults. Researchers discovered almost one in five people experience it.
Often it's sounds connected to bodily functions that trigger a reaction, as well as examples such as chewing, breathing, and foot tapping.
A Source of Dread
Lottie says: "I face so many various auditory triggers at Christmas and that can be daunting and make you dread it.
"My family are supportive, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to upset others. It's like a internal conflict of managing my symptoms to guarantee others enjoy themselves."
So it's easy to understand why the most wonderful period can quickly turn into a stressful ordeal for affected individuals.
Noises that may be considered normal, like someone drinking champagne, unwrapping gifts, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can provoke a visceral feeling that can even lead to them avoiding social settings altogether.
The student, a 21-year-old student, who has dealt with sound sensitivity from childhood, says currently her plan is to use headphones to cope. Typically, she would frequently go in a separate space to minimize distressing triggers.
She notes her misophonia is worse around people she's closest to, so Christmas is always "challenging".
"There's an expectation to socialize with loved ones, and I wish to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"The sensation is this intense irritation washes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel stressed and burst into tears and then panic will activate.
"It can come across as if I'm being unreasonable and dramatic, but it's difficult to convey without firsthand experience."
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 specialists.
- Imagine Something Else: Mental imagery is crucial. Try to associate the specific noise causing distress with something completely different. As an illustration, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a sink draining water. By doing this is to teach your brain that the sound triggering you isn't harmful.
- Try a Competition: Use lightheartedness and make the irritating noise into a competition with the person. For instance, if someone is crunching loudly have a go at copying the noise. By joining in, rather than feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an engaged person. And the game aspect should help redirect your focus and make you a little less affected.
- Create a Scenario: Another technique is to try to invent a reason about the reason someone making the noise is doing it. So if someone was making a nasal sound, perhaps they're not in good health or maybe they're upset. This approach is re-framing the context of the sound. Even though the noise doesn't change, your reaction of it shifts from being irritating, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.
