The Holiday Season Can Be a Living Hell for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
A 23-year-old hopes for seeing her relatives during the festive period, but notes a key strategy she'll manage to get through it is by relying on her noise-cancelling devices - notably for the holiday meal.
For her, Christmas is a particularly difficult time as the sounds of family members munching, sipping loudly and sniffling trigger intense distress.
"There's this feeling of immediate anxiety, my entire being will just tighten and it feels like I'm in peril, and I need to stop these triggers."
The individual has experienced sound sensitivity from a young age and for her that makes the Christmas time "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to particular auditory triggers, especially noises coming from individuals.
It's surprisingly common across the population. Experts discovered nearly 20% people are affected by it.
Often it's sounds connected to mouth, throat or facial movements that trigger a reaction, as well as examples such as crunching, heavy breathing, and foot tapping.
'Anxiety Inducing'
Lottie says: "I face so many assorted problematic noises at the holidays and that can be daunting and make you dread it.
"Those close to me are aware, 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 make sure others enjoy themselves."
So it's easy to understand why the traditionally happy period can quickly turn into a stressful ordeal for sufferers.
Noises that may be considered normal, like someone drinking champagne, opening presents, or enjoying festive food can trigger a strong emotional response that can even result in them skipping events entirely.
The student, a 21-year-old student, who has struggled with sound sensitivity for over a decade, explains the approach she intends to use is to put her earphones in to manage the meal. On any other day, she would frequently go in a different room to avoid problematic noises.
She notes her condition is worse around people she's closest to, so Christmas is always "hard".
"There's an expectation to spend time with loved ones, and I desire to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"The sensation is this intense irritation takes hold, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel stressed and begin to weep and then panic will activate.
"It may seem as if I'm being unreasonable and melodramatic, but it's difficult to convey if you haven't felt it."
Several Strategies to Handle It
For those affected then there are a few methods you can attempt to manage the situation, as suggested by experts.
- Picture an Alternative: Creative thinking is key. Attempt to link the particular sound causing distress with a neutral concept. So for example, try to envision someone's noisy drinking is just a waterfall. The goal is to teach your brain that the sound triggering you poses no threat.
- Try a Competition: Have a bit of fun and make the irritating noise into a challenge with the person. For instance, if someone is eating noisily attempt mimicking the sound. By joining in, instead of feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an active participant. And the competition element should help shift your attention and make you a little less affected.
- Develop a Narrative: A further strategy is to try to invent a reason about why the person creating the sound is doing it. Imagine if someone was sniffing, it could be that they're not feeling well or are troubled. This approach is altering the perception of the sound. While the noise doesn't change, your interpretation of it moves from being irritating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate towards it.
