Yuletide Can Be a Living Hell for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
One young woman anticipates spending time with her relatives over the holidays, but admits one of the only ways she'll cope is by using her noise-cancelling devices - particularly at the holiday meal.
For her, this time of year is a notably tough season as the noises of family members munching, sipping loudly and breathing heavily make her feel profound anxiety.
"I get this feeling of instant dread, my whole body will just tense up and it feels like I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to somehow control these sounds."
Lottie 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 coming from other people.
It is prevalent in the UK. Experts found nearly 20% people experience it.
Frequently it's noises linked to eating or drinking that lead to discomfort, as well as examples such as crunching, heavy breathing, and foot tapping.
A Source of Dread
She explains: "I face so many assorted problematic noises at the holidays and that can be daunting and make you fear it.
"My relatives are aware, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a internal conflict of sacrificing my own sanity to guarantee the event goes smoothly."
So it's easy to understand why the traditionally happy time of the year can rapidly become a source of agony for those with the condition.
Triggers that may be considered normal, like someone sipping a beverage, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or enjoying festive food can trigger a strong emotional response that can even result in them skipping events entirely.
The student, a young adult, who has experienced misophonia for over a decade, explains the approach she intends to use is to listen to music to get through dinner. Typically, she would frequently go in a separate space to escape triggering sounds.
She notes her condition is more pronounced around people she's most familiar with, so Christmas is always "hard".
"People assume you to socialize with loved ones, and I desire to, but it's draining.
"I feel as if this sudden rage comes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel stressed and burst into tears and then the stress response will activate.
"To others it appears as if I'm being difficult and overreacting, but it's hard to explain if you haven't felt it."
Three Ways to Handle It
For those affected then there are a few methods you can use to handle the situation, according to specialists.
- Picture an Alternative: Mental imagery is key. Try to associate the triggering sound affecting you with something completely different. As an illustration, try to picture someone's slurping is just a gentle stream. This technique is to help your brain learn that the sound triggering you isn't harmful.
- Try a Competition: Have a bit of fun and make the irritating noise into a challenge with the culprit. For instance, if someone is crunching loudly attempt mimicking the sound. Through participation, instead of feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an willing part. And the challenge should help redirect your focus and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Craft a Story: One more method is to try to fabricate an explanation about the reason someone creating the sound is having to make that sound. Imagine if someone was sniffing, it could be that they're not in good health or could be emotional. This approach is re-framing the context of the sound. Even though the noise doesn't change, your understanding of it changes from being annoying, to feeling a slightly more compassionate about it.
