The Holiday Season Can Be a Terrifying Experience for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
A 23-year-old anticipates spending time with her loved ones over the holidays, but notes a key strategy she'll cope is by wearing her noise-cancelling devices - particularly at Christmas dinner.
In her case, the holidays often feels like a especially challenging time as the sounds of family members munching, drinking noisily and breathing heavily trigger intense distress.
"I experience this wave of instant dread, my entire being will just tense up and it as though I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to manage these sounds."
Lottie has experienced misophonia from a young age and for her that makes the Christmas time "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to certain sounds, especially noises coming from individuals.
It is prevalent amongst adults. A study discovered nearly 20% people suffer from it.
Often it's noises connected to bodily functions that trigger a reaction, including examples such as crunching, heavy breathing, and foot tapping.
A Source of Dread
The sufferer notes: "I face so many assorted problematic noises at Christmas and that can be daunting and make you fear it.
"Those close to me are understanding, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a constant struggle of enduring my distress to make sure others enjoy themselves."
So it's easy to understand why the most wonderful season can rapidly become a living nightmare for sufferers.
Triggers that may seem harmless, like someone sipping a beverage, opening presents, or enjoying festive food can provoke a strong emotional response that can even lead to them withdrawing from gatherings.
Jenna, a university student, who has struggled with sound sensitivity since aged 10, says the approach she intends to use is to listen to music to cope. Typically, she would often retreat in a quiet area to minimize distressing triggers.
She explains her misophonia is worse around people she's closest to, so Christmas is always "challenging".
"There's an expectation to spend time with loved ones, and I desire to, but it's draining.
"The sensation is this sudden rage washes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel panicked and burst into tears and then fight-or-flight will activate.
"It may seem as if I'm being oversensitive and overreacting, but it's difficult to convey without firsthand experience."
Several Strategies to Handle It
For those affected then there are some different techniques you can attempt to manage the situation, according to experts.
- Visualise an Alternative: Creative thinking is key. Attempt to link the triggering sound bothering you with an unrelated image. So for example, try to envision someone's noisy drinking is just a waterfall. By doing this is to retrain your mind that the sound affecting you is neutral.
- Use Humor: Have a bit of fun and turn the annoying sound into a challenge with the person. For instance, if someone is crunching loudly try joining in. By mimicking, rather than feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an willing part. And the challenge should help distract your brain and make you a little less affected.
- Develop a Narrative: One more method is to try to fabricate an explanation about why the person making the noise is behaving that way. Imagine if someone was sniffing, maybe they are not in good health or could be emotional. By doing this is altering the perception of the sound. Although the noise doesn't change, your understanding of it moves from being aggravating, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.
