Yuletide Transforms Into a Living Hell for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
One young woman anticipates seeing her loved ones this Christmas, but notes a key strategy she'll manage to get through it is by wearing her noise-cancelling devices - notably for the holiday meal.
For her, the holidays can be a notably tough time as the auditory triggers of other people chewing, drinking noisily and nose-blowing trigger extremely uncomfortable.
"There's this wave of immediate anxiety, my every muscle will just freeze and it as though I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to stop these triggers."
She has suffered from misophonia since she was 16 and for her that makes the Christmas time "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to specific noises, particularly those produced by individuals.
It's surprisingly common in the UK. A study discovered nearly 20% people experience it.
Frequently it's sounds associated with eating or drinking that cause distress, including examples such as crunching, breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
Triggering Stress
Lottie says: "I face so many assorted problematic noises at Christmas and that can be daunting and make you fear it.
"My family are aware, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a really big battle of managing my symptoms to ensure everyone else is happy."
So it's obvious why the most wonderful time of the year can transform into a stressful ordeal for sufferers.
Sounds that may appear innocuous, like someone sipping a beverage, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or enjoying festive food can cause a strong emotional response that can even result in them avoiding social settings altogether.
Jenna, a young adult, who has struggled with sound sensitivity since aged 10, explains the approach she intends to use is to use headphones to get through dinner. Usually, she would frequently go in a quiet area to avoid triggering sounds.
She notes her condition is worse around people she's most comfortable with, so the holidays is always "challenging".
"People assume you to be around family, and I desire to, but it's draining.
"The sensation is this intense irritation washes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel panicked and immediately start crying and then fight-or-flight will activate.
"To others it appears as if I'm being unreasonable and dramatic, but it's difficult to convey if you haven't felt it."
Three Ways to Handle It
If it's an issue then there are some different techniques you can use to handle the situation, based on advice from specialists.
- Visualise Something Else: Mental imagery is key. Try to associate the triggering sound affecting you with something completely different. For instance, try to picture someone's slurping is just a gentle stream. This technique is to retrain your mind that the sound triggering you poses no threat.
- Try a Competition: Have a bit of fun and turn the annoying sound into a competition involving the source. As an example, if someone is eating noisily attempt copying the noise. By mimicking, rather than feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an willing part. And the competition element should help distract your brain and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Develop a Narrative: A further strategy is to try to fabricate an explanation about why the person creating the sound is doing it. Imagine if someone was sniffing, maybe they are not feeling well or are troubled. By doing this is re-framing the context of the sound. Even though the noise doesn't change, your interpretation of it moves from being annoying, to feeling a little more neutral about it.
