The Holiday Season Can Be a Nightmare for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
A 23-year-old anticipates seeing her loved ones during the festive period, but notes a primary method she'll endure is by relying on her earplugs - notably for the holiday meal.
For the 23-year-old, Christmas can be a notably tough period as the auditory triggers of other people chewing, slurping and sniffling cause her intense distress.
"There's this sensation of immediate anxiety, my entire being will just tighten and it seems as if I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to somehow control these triggers."
Lottie has experienced sound sensitivity from a young age and for her that causes the festive season "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to specific noises, especially noises coming from other people.
It's surprisingly common amongst adults. Researchers reported a significant portion of people suffer from it.
Typically it's noises linked to mouth, throat or facial movements that lead to discomfort, including examples such as chewing, breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
Triggering Stress
The sufferer notes: "I face so many different triggering sounds at Christmas and that can be anxiety inducing and make you fear it.
"My relatives are aware, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to upset others. It's like a internal conflict of enduring my distress to make sure others enjoy themselves."
So it's clear why the traditionally happy season can quickly turn into a source of agony for sufferers.
Triggers that may be considered normal, like someone sipping a beverage, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can provoke a visceral feeling that can even result in them withdrawing from gatherings.
Jenna, a young adult, who has dealt with misophonia from childhood, explains her strategy is to use headphones to manage the meal. Usually, she would often retreat in a different room to minimize distressing triggers.
She explains her misophonia is more pronounced around people she's closest to, so Christmas is always "hard".
"People assume you to spend time with family, and I want to, but it's draining.
"I feel as if this uncontrollable anger takes hold, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel anxious and begin to weep and then the stress response will take over.
"To others it appears as if I'm being oversensitive and melodramatic, but it's tough to describe if you haven't felt it."
A Few Techniques to Cope
If you suffer then there are a few methods you can attempt to manage the situation, based on advice from clinical psychologists.
- Visualise a Different Scenario: Mental imagery is key. Work on connecting the triggering sound causing distress with a neutral concept. As an illustration, try to picture someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. The goal is to retrain your mind that the sound triggering you poses no threat.
- Make it a Game: Use lightheartedness and make the irritating noise into a competition involving the source. As an example, if someone is eating noisily attempt mimicking the sound. By joining in, rather than feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an active participant. And the competition element should help shift your attention and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Create a Scenario: Another technique is to try to invent a reason about the reason someone making the noise is behaving that way. Imagine if someone was sniffing, perhaps they're not feeling well or are troubled. This approach is altering the perception of the sound. While the noise doesn't change, your reaction of it changes from being annoying, to feeling a little more neutral about it.
