Yuletide Often Proves to Be a Terrifying Experience for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
A 23-year-old hopes for being with her family this Christmas, but admits a key strategy she'll manage to get through it is by relying on her noise-cancelling devices - notably for the main festive feast.
For the 23-year-old, the holidays can be a notably tough season as the noises of people eating, slurping and sniffling cause her extremely uncomfortable.
"I experience this feeling of instant dread, my whole body will just tense up and it feels like I'm in peril, 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 "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to specific noises, particularly those made by other people.
The condition is widespread amongst adults. Experts found a significant portion of people are affected by it.
Typically it's noises linked to eating or drinking that lead to discomfort, including examples such as chewing, heavy breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
A Source of Dread
She explains: "I face so many various auditory triggers at the holidays and that can be stressful and make you fear it.
"Those close to me are aware, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a really big battle of sacrificing my own sanity to ensure everyone else is happy."
So it's easy to understand why the supposedly joyous period can rapidly become a stressful ordeal for affected individuals.
Noises that may seem harmless, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, opening presents, or eating the holiday meal can cause a powerful reaction that can even cause them withdrawing from gatherings.
Jenna, a 21-year-old student, who has experienced sound sensitivity since aged 10, states her strategy is to put her earphones in to manage the meal. On any other day, she would usually isolate herself in a separate space to escape distressing triggers.
She explains her sensitivity is worse around people she's most comfortable with, so the holidays is always "difficult".
"There's an expectation to socialize with family, and I desire to, but it's draining.
"The sensation is this uncontrollable anger takes hold, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel anxious and immediately start crying and then panic will take over.
"To others it appears as if I'm being oversensitive and overreacting, but it's tough to describe unless you've experienced it."
Three Ways to Manage
If you suffer then there are a few methods you can attempt to manage the situation, based on advice from specialists.
- Visualise an Alternative: Imagination is key. Attempt to link the specific noise causing distress with a neutral concept. For instance, try to envision someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. By doing this is to retrain your mind that the sound triggering you poses no threat.
- Try a Competition: Use lightheartedness and turn the annoying sound into a game with the culprit. For example, if someone is crunching loudly attempt joining in. Through participation, instead of feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an active participant. And the competition element should help redirect your focus and make you a little less affected.
- Craft a Story: Another technique is to try to invent a reason about why the person making the noise is doing it. Imagine if someone was making a nasal sound, it could be that they're not in good health or maybe they're upset. The idea is altering the perception of the sound. Although the noise remains identical, your interpretation of it moves from being irritating, to feeling a little more neutral towards it.
