Yuletide Transforms Into a Terrifying Experience for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
Lottie hopes for being with her family during the festive period, but admits a primary method she'll cope is by relying on her hearing protection - especially during the main festive feast.
For her, this time of year can be a especially challenging time as the sounds of family members munching, sipping loudly and nose-blowing cause her extremely uncomfortable.
"I get this sensation of instant dread, my whole body will just freeze and it seems as if I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to manage these sounds."
The individual has lived with sound sensitivity from a young age and for her that renders the holiday period "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to specific noises, notably sounds produced by individuals.
It's surprisingly common across the population. Experts discovered a significant portion of people suffer from it.
Often it's sounds associated with eating or drinking that trigger a reaction, as well as examples such as crunching, heavy breathing, and pen clicking.
'Anxiety Inducing'
The sufferer notes: "I face so many assorted problematic noises at the holidays and that can be stressful and make you dread it.
"My family are understanding, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a really big battle of sacrificing my own sanity to ensure the event goes smoothly."
So it's easy to understand why the supposedly joyous time of the year can quickly turn into a living nightmare for sufferers.
Sounds that may appear innocuous, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or eating the holiday meal can provoke a visceral feeling that can even lead to them avoiding social settings altogether.
She, a 21-year-old student, who has struggled with misophonia for over a decade, states her strategy is to listen to music to manage the meal. Typically, she would often retreat in a quiet area to escape problematic noises.
She notes her sensitivity is more pronounced around people she's most familiar with, so the holidays is always "challenging".
"People assume you to socialize with loved ones, and I want to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"It's like this sudden rage comes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel anxious and burst into tears and then fight-or-flight will activate.
"To others it appears as if I'm being difficult and overreacting, but it's tough to describe if you haven't felt it."
Several Strategies to Cope
For those affected then there are a few methods you can use to handle the situation, as suggested by clinical psychologists.
- Picture a Different Scenario: Imagination is crucial. Try to associate the triggering sound causing distress with a neutral concept. So for example, try to envision someone's noisy drinking is just a waterfall. This technique is to retrain your mind that the sound triggering you isn't harmful.
- Make it a Game: Use lightheartedness and turn the annoying sound into a challenge with the culprit. For instance, if someone is eating noisily attempt copying the noise. By joining in, instead of feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an engaged person. And the challenge should help redirect your focus and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Craft a Story: One more method is to try to invent a reason about why the person making the noise is behaving that way. So if someone was sniffing, maybe they are not in good health or could be emotional. By doing this is re-framing the context of the sound. While the noise remains identical, your understanding of it moves from being aggravating, to feeling a bit more accepting towards it.
