Yuletide Transforms Into a Living Hell for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
One young woman anticipates spending time with her loved ones during the festive period, but admits one of the only ways she'll cope is by using her noise-cancelling devices - notably for Christmas dinner.
For her, this time of year is a notably tough period as the noises of family members munching, drinking noisily and sniffling trigger profound anxiety.
"I experience this wave of immediate anxiety, my entire being will just tense up and it seems as if I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to somehow control these noises."
Lottie has experienced misophonia since she was 16 and for her that renders the festive season "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to specific noises, especially noises coming from those around you.
It's surprisingly common amongst adults. A study reported nearly 20% people are affected by it.
Typically it's noises associated with bodily functions that trigger a reaction, including examples such as crunching, breathing, and foot tapping.
Triggering Stress
Lottie says: "I face so many various auditory triggers at Christmas and that can be anxiety inducing and make you fear it.
"My family are supportive, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a internal conflict of enduring my distress to guarantee others enjoy themselves."
So it's easy to understand why the most wonderful period can rapidly become a source of agony for affected individuals.
Sounds that may appear innocuous, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, opening presents, or eating the holiday meal can provoke a strong emotional response that can even lead to them skipping events entirely.
She, a university student, who has dealt with misophonia from childhood, states her strategy is to listen to music to get through dinner. Typically, she would usually isolate herself in a separate space to minimize problematic noises.
She says her sensitivity is worse around people she's most comfortable with, so Christmas is always "difficult".
"There is pressure to be around family, and I desire to, but it's draining.
"It's like this sudden rage comes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel panicked and begin to weep and then the stress response will kick in.
"To others it appears as if I'm being difficult and overreacting, but it's hard to explain without firsthand experience."
A Few Techniques to Cope
If it's an issue then there are some different techniques you can try to cope the situation, as suggested by experts.
- Visualise a Different Scenario: Mental imagery is crucial. 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. By doing this is to help your brain learn that the sound triggering you poses no threat.
- Make it a Game: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a competition involving the source. As an example, if someone is crunching loudly attempt copying the noise. Through participation, instead of feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an willing part. And the challenge should help distract your brain and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Develop a Narrative: Another technique is to try to create a little story about why the person making the noise is doing it. So if someone was making a nasal sound, it could be that they're not feeling well or are troubled. The idea is changing the meaning of the sound. While the sound remains identical, your understanding of it shifts from being annoying, to feeling a slightly more compassionate towards it.
