Christmas Can Be a Terrifying Experience for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
Lottie is looking forward to spending time with her relatives during the festive period, but admits a key strategy she'll cope is by wearing her earplugs - especially during the main festive feast.
In her case, Christmas can be a particularly difficult time as the sounds of family members munching, drinking noisily and breathing heavily trigger profound anxiety.
"There's this wave of instant dread, my entire being will just tighten and it as though I'm in danger, and I need to somehow control these triggers."
Lottie has suffered from sound sensitivity from a young age and for her that makes the holiday period "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to certain sounds, especially noises produced by individuals.
It's surprisingly common across the population. Researchers discovered nearly 20% people suffer from it.
Typically it's noises connected to bodily functions that lead to discomfort, along with things like chewing, breathing, and foot tapping.
A Source of Dread
The sufferer notes: "There are so many various auditory triggers at the holidays and that can be stressful and make you fear it.
"Those close to me are supportive, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to upset others. It's like a constant struggle of managing my symptoms to make sure everyone else is happy."
So it's easy to understand why the most wonderful time of the year can transform into a source of agony for sufferers.
Sounds that may be considered normal, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, opening presents, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can cause a strong emotional response that can even result in them avoiding social settings altogether.
Jenna, a young adult, who has experienced sound sensitivity from childhood, says currently her plan is to use headphones to cope. Usually, she would usually isolate herself in a quiet area to avoid triggering sounds.
She says her misophonia is worse around people she's most familiar with, so Christmas is always "difficult".
"There is pressure to socialize with family, and I want to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"The sensation is this sudden rage washes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel stressed and begin to weep and then the stress response will kick in.
"It can come across as if I'm being unreasonable and melodramatic, but it's difficult to convey if you haven't felt it."
Three Ways to Cope
For those affected then there are various strategies you can try to cope the situation, according to specialists.
- Visualise Something Else: Imagination is essential. Try to associate the triggering sound bothering you with an unrelated image. As an illustration, try to envision someone's noisy drinking is just a waterfall. By doing this is to help your brain learn that the sound affecting you isn't harmful.
- Make it a Game: Use lightheartedness and make the irritating noise into a game with the culprit. For instance, if someone is crunching loudly attempt mimicking the sound. By mimicking, rather than feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an active participant. And the challenge should help redirect your focus and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Create a Scenario: Another technique is to try to create a little story about the reason someone making the noise is doing it. So if someone was sniffing, it could be that they're not feeling well or could be emotional. The idea is re-framing the context of the sound. While the sound stays the same, your reaction of it shifts from being irritating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate towards it.
