Yuletide Can Be a Terrifying Experience for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
A 23-year-old hopes for being with her family over the holidays, but admits one of the only ways she'll manage to get through it is by wearing her hearing protection - particularly at Christmas dinner.
For her, this time of year is a notably tough period as the sounds of other people chewing, slurping and breathing heavily make her feel profound anxiety.
"I experience this feeling of sudden panic, my every muscle will just tighten and it seems as if I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to somehow control these noises."
She has lived with sound sensitivity since she was 16 and for her that renders the holiday period "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to particular auditory triggers, notably sounds made by individuals.
It is prevalent in the UK. A study reported nearly 20% people experience it.
Frequently it's sounds associated with eating or drinking that cause distress, along with examples such as chewing, breathing, and foot tapping.
A Source of Dread
Lottie says: "You encounter so many different triggering sounds at Christmas and that can be stressful and make you fear it.
"Those close to me are understanding, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to upset others. It's like a constant struggle of managing my symptoms to guarantee everyone else is happy."
So it's obvious why the most wonderful season can rapidly become a living nightmare 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 visceral feeling that can even result in them withdrawing from gatherings.
The student, a 21-year-old student, who has dealt with sound sensitivity for over a decade, explains her strategy is to use headphones to get through dinner. Usually, she would frequently go in a different room to avoid distressing triggers.
She says her misophonia is more intense around people she's most comfortable with, so the holidays is always "hard".
"There is pressure to socialize with family, and I want to, but it's draining.
"I feel as if this uncontrollable anger comes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel stressed and immediately start crying and then the stress response will kick in.
"It may seem as if I'm being unreasonable and melodramatic, but it's tough to describe unless you've experienced it."
A Few Techniques to Handle It
For those affected then there are some different techniques you can attempt to manage the situation, according to experts.
- Picture Something Else: Mental imagery is key. Try to associate the specific noise affecting you with an unrelated image. So for example, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. By doing this is to help your brain learn that the sound triggering you is neutral.
- Use Humor: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a challenge with the culprit. For instance, if someone is eating noisily attempt mimicking the sound. Through participation, rather than feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an active participant. And the competition element should help distract your brain and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Craft a Story: A further strategy is to try to create a little story about the reason someone making the noise is having to make that sound. For example if someone was sniffing, it could be that they're not at their best or are troubled. By doing this is altering the perception of the sound. Even though the sound doesn't change, your reaction of it moves from being aggravating, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.