The Holiday Season Often Proves to Be a Nightmare for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
Lottie anticipates spending time with her loved ones this Christmas, but notes a primary method she'll endure is by relying on her hearing protection - particularly at the main festive feast.
For her, the holidays often feels like a notably tough season as the sounds of family members munching, drinking noisily and sniffling cause her extremely uncomfortable.
"I experience this wave of instant dread, my whole body will just tighten and it feels like I'm in danger, and I need to manage these noises."
Lottie has experienced misophonia since she was 16 and for her that causes the Christmas time "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to specific noises, notably sounds made by other people.
It is prevalent across the population. A study discovered almost one in five people experience it.
Frequently it's sounds connected to eating or drinking that cause distress, along with examples such as crunching, breathing, and foot tapping.
A Source of Dread
She explains: "You encounter so many various auditory triggers at the holidays and that can be daunting and make you fear it.
"My family are understanding, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to upset others. It's like a constant struggle of enduring my distress to make sure everyone else is happy."
So it's easy to understand why the most wonderful period can transform into a living nightmare for sufferers.
Triggers that may be considered normal, like someone drinking champagne, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can provoke a powerful reaction that can even cause them avoiding social settings altogether.
Jenna, a young adult, who has dealt with misophonia for over a decade, states her strategy is to put her earphones in to manage the meal. On any other day, she would frequently go in a quiet area to avoid problematic noises.
She explains her sensitivity is more intense around people she's most familiar with, so the holidays is always "hard".
"There is pressure to be around loved ones, and I want to, but it's draining.
"It's like this intense irritation comes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel anxious and immediately start crying and then fight-or-flight will kick in.
"It may seem as if I'm being oversensitive and dramatic, but it's difficult to convey without firsthand experience."
Several Strategies to Handle It
If you suffer then there are various strategies you can try to cope the situation, based on advice from specialists.
- Imagine an Alternative: Mental imagery is essential. Attempt to link the specific noise bothering you with an unrelated image. As an illustration, try to imagine someone's slurping is just a gentle stream. By doing this is to help your brain learn that the sound affecting you poses no threat.
- Try a Competition: Have a bit of fun and turn the annoying sound into a game with the person. As an example, if someone is eating noisily have a go at copying the noise. By mimicking, rather than feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an active participant. And the game aspect should help redirect your focus and make you a little less affected.
- Create a Scenario: One more method is to try to invent a reason about the reason someone creating the sound is doing it. For example if someone was making a nasal sound, perhaps they're not at their best or are troubled. By doing this is altering the perception of the sound. While the sound remains identical, your reaction of it moves from being aggravating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate towards it.
