Yuletide Can Be a Nightmare for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
One young woman is looking forward to being with her relatives over the holidays, but admits a key strategy she'll manage to get through it is by using her noise-cancelling devices - particularly at Christmas dinner.
For her, this time of year is a particularly difficult season as the auditory triggers of other people chewing, slurping and breathing heavily cause her profound anxiety.
"I experience this feeling of immediate anxiety, my every muscle will just freeze and it as though I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to manage these triggers."
Lottie has experienced sound sensitivity since she was 16 and for her that causes the holiday period "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to certain sounds, notably sounds made by other people.
It's surprisingly common amongst adults. Experts discovered a significant portion of people experience it.
Frequently it's sounds connected to mouth, throat or facial movements that trigger a reaction, along with things like chewing, breathing, and pen clicking.
Triggering Stress
The sufferer notes: "I face so many various auditory triggers at the holidays and that can be anxiety inducing and make you want to avoid it.
"My relatives are understanding, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a really big battle of enduring my distress to guarantee everyone else is happy."
So it's clear why the traditionally happy period can quickly turn into a living nightmare for those with the condition.
Sounds that may seem harmless, like someone sipping a beverage, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can provoke a strong emotional response that can even result in them skipping events entirely.
Jenna, a young adult, who has experienced misophonia since aged 10, states the approach she intends to use is to listen to music to cope. Usually, she would frequently go in a different room to escape distressing triggers.
She says her misophonia is worse around people she's closest to, so Christmas is always "difficult".
"There's an expectation to socialize with family, and I want to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"It's like this intense irritation washes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel stressed and immediately start crying and then panic will kick in.
"To others it appears as if I'm being unreasonable and dramatic, but it's hard to explain without firsthand experience."
Several Strategies to Cope
If you suffer then there are some different techniques you can use to handle the situation, according to experts.
- Imagine an Alternative: Creative thinking is essential. Attempt to link the particular sound bothering you with something completely different. As an illustration, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a sink draining water. The goal is to help your brain learn that the sound triggering you is neutral.
- Try a Competition: Have a bit of fun and turn the annoying sound into a challenge involving the source. As an example, if someone is crunching loudly attempt mimicking the sound. By joining in, instead of feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an active participant. And the competition element should help distract your brain and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Develop a Narrative: One more method is to try to create a little story about the reason someone making the noise is doing it. For example if someone was sniffing, maybe they are not in good health or are troubled. The idea is re-framing the context of the sound. Even though the noise stays the same, your understanding of it changes from being irritating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate about it.
