The Holiday Season Can Be a Nightmare for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
Lottie anticipates seeing her relatives over the holidays, but says a key strategy she'll endure is by using her hearing protection - especially during Christmas dinner.
In her case, this time of year is a particularly difficult time as the auditory triggers of other people chewing, sipping loudly and breathing heavily trigger extremely uncomfortable.
"I experience this feeling of sudden panic, my every muscle will just tense up and it feels like I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to somehow control these triggers."
She has lived with misophonia for several years and for her that causes the holiday period "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to particular auditory triggers, particularly those produced by other people.
It's surprisingly common in the UK. Researchers found a significant portion of people experience it.
Often it's sounds connected to eating or drinking that cause distress, including things like chewing, heavy breathing, and repetitive finger 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 want to avoid it.
"My family are supportive, but I'm very aware that I don't want to upset others. It's like a really big battle of enduring my distress to make sure the event goes smoothly."
So it's easy to understand why the most wonderful season can rapidly become a stressful ordeal for sufferers.
Sounds that may seem harmless, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can trigger a strong emotional response that can even result in them skipping events entirely.
Jenna, a young adult, who has struggled with sound sensitivity from childhood, explains her strategy is to put her earphones in to cope. Usually, she would frequently go in a different room to escape problematic noises.
She notes her condition is more intense around people she's closest to, so Christmas is always "challenging".
"There's an expectation to spend time with family, and I wish to, but it's draining.
"It's like this uncontrollable anger washes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel panicked and burst into tears and then fight-or-flight will kick in.
"To others it appears as if I'm being oversensitive and dramatic, but it's tough to describe if you haven't felt it."
A Few Techniques to Handle It
If you suffer then there are a few methods you can use to handle the situation, according to specialists.
- Imagine Something Else: Imagination is key. Attempt to link the triggering sound affecting you with a neutral concept. As an illustration, try to imagine someone's slurping is just a waterfall. This technique is to teach your brain that the sound affecting you isn't harmful.
- Try a Competition: Have a bit of fun and make the irritating noise into a challenge with the person. As an example, if someone is crunching loudly attempt joining in. By mimicking, instead of feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an willing part. And the competition element should help redirect your focus and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Craft a Story: Another technique is to try to fabricate an explanation about why the person creating the sound is behaving that way. For example if someone was making a nasal sound, perhaps they're not feeling well or could be emotional. The idea is changing the meaning of the sound. Even though the sound doesn't change, your understanding of it moves from being annoying, to feeling a slightly more compassionate about it.
