Christmas Can Be a Nightmare for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
A 23-year-old anticipates being with her relatives over the holidays, but says a primary method she'll cope is by wearing her noise-cancelling devices - notably for the holiday meal.
For her, this time of year is a notably tough season as the noises of people eating, slurping and breathing heavily make her feel intense distress.
"There's this wave of instant dread, my every muscle will just freeze and it seems as if I'm in peril, and I need to manage these sounds."
She has experienced this condition from a young age and for her that makes the holiday period "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to particular auditory triggers, notably sounds coming from other people.
It is prevalent in the UK. Researchers found almost one in five people experience it.
Often it's noises associated with mouth, throat or facial movements that lead to discomfort, including examples such as crunching, breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
'Anxiety Inducing'
Lottie says: "I face so many different triggering sounds at the holidays and that can be anxiety inducing and make you want to avoid it.
"My family are understanding, but I'm very aware that I don't want to upset others. It's like a really big battle of managing my symptoms to make sure the event goes smoothly."
So it's easy to understand why the traditionally happy time of the year can rapidly become a living nightmare for affected individuals.
Triggers that may appear innocuous, like someone drinking champagne, opening presents, or eating the holiday meal can cause a visceral feeling that can even lead to them withdrawing from gatherings.
Jenna, a young adult, who has experienced sound sensitivity since aged 10, states currently her plan is to put her earphones in to get through dinner. On any other day, she would frequently go in a separate space to minimize problematic noises.
She says her condition is worse around people she's closest to, so the holidays is always "hard".
"There's an expectation to socialize with family, and I wish to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"It's like this uncontrollable anger washes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel stressed and immediately start crying and then the stress response will kick in.
"To others it appears as if I'm being oversensitive and melodramatic, but it's difficult to convey if you haven't felt it."
A Few Techniques to Manage
If it's an issue then there are a few methods you can attempt to manage the situation, according to experts.
- Visualise a Different Scenario: Imagination is key. Attempt to link the particular sound causing distress with an unrelated image. For instance, try to envision someone's noisy drinking is just a sink draining water. This technique is to help your brain learn that the sound triggering you is neutral.
- Make it a Game: Use lightheartedness and make the irritating noise into a challenge with the person. For example, if someone is crunching loudly have a go at copying the noise. By mimicking, instead of feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an engaged person. And the competition element should help distract your brain and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Craft a Story: One more method is to try to create a little story about the reason someone making the noise is behaving that way. Imagine if someone was sniffing, maybe they are not feeling well or are troubled. By doing this is changing the meaning of the sound. Although the sound doesn't change, your interpretation of it shifts from being annoying, to feeling a slightly more compassionate towards it.
