Yuletide Transforms Into a Terrifying Experience for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
One young woman hopes for spending time with her relatives over the holidays, but admits one of the only ways she'll cope is by using her earplugs - especially during the holiday meal.
For her, this time of year can be a particularly difficult time as the noises of people eating, drinking noisily and breathing heavily cause her extremely uncomfortable.
"There's this wave of immediate anxiety, my every muscle will just freeze and it feels like I'm in danger, and I need to stop these noises."
She has suffered from this condition since she was 16 and for her that makes the Christmas time "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to particular auditory triggers, especially noises made by those around you.
The condition is widespread amongst adults. Researchers reported nearly 20% people are affected by it.
Typically it's sounds linked to bodily functions that cause distress, including examples such as crunching, breathing, and foot tapping.
A Source of Dread
Lottie says: "You encounter so many different triggering sounds at Christmas and that can be daunting and make you want to avoid it.
"My relatives are aware, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a constant struggle of enduring my distress to make sure the event goes smoothly."
So it's obvious why the supposedly joyous time of the year can quickly turn into a living nightmare for sufferers.
Sounds that may appear innocuous, like someone drinking champagne, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or enjoying festive food can trigger a visceral feeling that can even cause them avoiding social settings altogether.
She, a university student, who has experienced sound sensitivity since aged 10, says her strategy is to listen to music to manage the meal. Usually, she would usually isolate herself in a separate space to escape distressing triggers.
She notes her sensitivity is worse around people she's closest to, so Christmas is always "difficult".
"There's an expectation to be around family, and I wish to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"I feel as if this sudden rage comes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel panicked and burst into tears and then panic will take over.
"To others it appears as if I'm being difficult and dramatic, but it's difficult to convey unless you've experienced it."
Three Ways to Handle It
If it's an issue then there are some different techniques you can try to cope the situation, as suggested by experts.
- Visualise Something Else: Mental imagery is essential. Attempt to link the particular sound causing distress with something completely different. For instance, 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 isn't harmful.
- Use Humor: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a challenge with the person. For instance, if someone is crunching loudly attempt copying the noise. By mimicking, rather than feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an engaged person. And the game aspect should help shift your attention and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Develop a Narrative: Another technique is to try to invent a reason about the reason someone making the noise is having to make that sound. So if someone was making a nasal sound, perhaps they're not at their best or are troubled. The idea is changing the meaning of the sound. While the sound doesn't change, your interpretation of it moves from being irritating, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.
