Yuletide Often Proves to Be a Nightmare for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
One young woman is looking forward to being with her loved ones during the festive period, but says a key strategy she'll cope is by using her noise-cancelling devices - notably for Christmas dinner.
In her case, this time of year can be a notably tough season as the auditory triggers of people eating, slurping and nose-blowing cause her extremely uncomfortable.
"I get this feeling of instant dread, my whole body will just freeze and it feels like I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to somehow control these sounds."
The individual has lived with this condition from a young age and for her that causes the holiday period "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to specific noises, particularly those coming from individuals.
The condition is widespread across the population. Researchers found nearly 20% people suffer from it.
Typically it's sounds connected to bodily functions that cause distress, including examples such as crunching, heavy breathing, and pen clicking.
'Anxiety Inducing'
Lottie says: "There are so many different triggering sounds at the holidays and that can be daunting and make you want to avoid it.
"My family are understanding, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a internal conflict of enduring my distress to ensure others enjoy themselves."
So it's easy to understand why the traditionally happy period can quickly turn into a living nightmare for affected individuals.
Noises that may appear innocuous, like someone drinking champagne, opening presents, or eating the holiday meal can trigger a powerful reaction that can even lead to them skipping events entirely.
The student, a 21-year-old student, who has experienced misophonia from childhood, explains her strategy is to listen to music to cope. Usually, she would frequently go in a separate space to avoid distressing triggers.
She explains her condition is worse around people she's closest to, so Christmas is always "challenging".
"There is pressure to be around family, and I want to, but it's draining.
"I feel as if this uncontrollable anger washes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel anxious and immediately start crying and then fight-or-flight will take over.
"It may seem as if I'm being difficult and overreacting, but it's difficult to convey if you haven't felt it."
Several Strategies to Cope
If it's an issue then there are some different techniques you can use to handle the situation, as suggested by specialists.
- Picture an Alternative: Mental imagery is essential. Work on connecting the particular sound affecting you with something completely different. For instance, try to imagine someone's slurping is just a gentle stream. By doing this is to teach your brain that the sound affecting you poses no threat.
- Use Humor: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a competition with the person. For instance, if someone is eating noisily attempt copying the noise. Through participation, instead of feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an active participant. And the competition element should help distract your brain and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Craft a Story: A further strategy is to try to invent a reason about the reason someone making the noise is doing it. So if someone was sniffing, maybe they are not at their best or could be emotional. The idea is changing the meaning of the sound. Even though the sound remains identical, your understanding of it shifts from being irritating, to feeling a little more neutral towards it.
