Yuletide Often Proves to Be a Terrifying Experience for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
One young woman hopes for seeing her family over the holidays, but notes a key strategy she'll manage to get through it is by relying on her earplugs - notably for the holiday meal.
For the 23-year-old, this time of year can be a particularly difficult time as the noises of family members munching, slurping and nose-blowing trigger intense distress.
"There's this wave of immediate anxiety, my entire being will just tense up and it as though I'm in peril, and I need to manage these noises."
She has suffered from sound sensitivity from a young age and for her that makes the Christmas time "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to particular auditory triggers, notably sounds made by individuals.
The condition is widespread in the UK. Researchers discovered a significant portion of people suffer from it.
Often it's noises linked to eating or drinking that cause distress, along with things like crunching, breathing, and foot tapping.
Triggering Stress
Lottie says: "I face so many different triggering sounds at Christmas and that can be stressful and make you want to avoid 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 sacrificing my own sanity to ensure others enjoy themselves."
So it's obvious why the most wonderful season can quickly turn into a living nightmare for sufferers.
Triggers that may seem harmless, like someone drinking champagne, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or enjoying festive food can provoke a strong emotional response that can even cause them withdrawing from gatherings.
The student, a young adult, who has dealt with misophonia from childhood, explains the approach she intends to use is to listen to music to get through dinner. Usually, she would frequently go in a different room to avoid triggering sounds.
She notes her condition is more intense around people she's most comfortable with, so Christmas is always "difficult".
"People assume you to spend time with loved ones, and I desire to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"I feel as if this uncontrollable anger washes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel panicked and begin to weep and then fight-or-flight will activate.
"To others it appears as if I'm being difficult and dramatic, but it's tough to describe unless you've experienced it."
Several Strategies to Manage
If it's an issue then there are various strategies you can attempt to manage the situation, as suggested by clinical psychologists.
- Picture an Alternative: Creative thinking is crucial. Try to associate the specific noise affecting you with an unrelated image. For instance, try to envision someone's slurping is just a sink draining water. This technique is to retrain your mind that the sound triggering you is neutral.
- Make it a Game: Use lightheartedness and turn the annoying sound into a challenge with the culprit. For instance, if someone is eating noisily have a go at mimicking the sound. By mimicking, instead of feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an willing part. And the competition element should help shift your attention and make you a little less affected.
- Craft a Story: A further strategy is to try to fabricate an explanation about the reason someone making the noise is doing it. For example if someone was making a nasal sound, maybe they are not in good health or could be emotional. By doing this is re-framing the context of the sound. While the noise doesn't change, your interpretation of it shifts from being annoying, to feeling a little more neutral towards it.
