Yuletide Transforms Into a Terrifying Experience for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
One young woman hopes for being with her family over the holidays, but notes a key strategy she'll manage to get through it is by wearing her hearing protection - notably for the main festive feast.
In her case, Christmas is a notably tough season as the auditory triggers of people eating, sipping loudly and sniffling trigger extremely uncomfortable.
"I experience this wave of instant dread, my every muscle will just freeze and it as though I'm in peril, and I need to somehow control these triggers."
Lottie has suffered from sound sensitivity since she was 16 and for her that makes the holiday period "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to specific noises, particularly those coming from individuals.
It's surprisingly common amongst adults. Experts reported almost one in five people are affected by it.
Frequently it's noises associated with eating or drinking that cause distress, as well as things like crunching, breathing, and foot tapping.
A Source of Dread
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 spoil the mood. It's like a really big battle of sacrificing my own sanity to make sure everyone else is happy."
So it's easy to understand why the most wonderful time of the year can quickly turn into a living nightmare for affected individuals.
Triggers that may be considered normal, like someone sipping a beverage, unwrapping gifts, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can cause a powerful reaction that can even lead to them withdrawing from gatherings.
She, a 21-year-old student, who has struggled with sound sensitivity for over a decade, says her strategy is to listen to music to cope. Usually, she would frequently go in a different room to escape triggering sounds.
She notes her sensitivity is more pronounced around people she's most familiar with, so Christmas is always "hard".
"There is pressure to be around loved ones, and I want 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 activate.
"It may seem as if I'm being oversensitive and melodramatic, but it's tough to describe unless you've experienced it."
Several Strategies to Cope
If you suffer then there are a few methods you can try to cope the situation, as suggested by experts.
- Imagine a Different Scenario: Mental imagery is essential. Attempt to link the specific noise causing distress with something completely different. As an illustration, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a sink draining water. By doing this is to teach your brain that the sound affecting you isn't harmful.
- Try a Competition: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a challenge with the culprit. For example, if someone is eating noisily attempt joining in. By joining in, rather than feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an willing part. And the game aspect should help distract your brain and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Develop a Narrative: One more method is to try to fabricate an explanation about why the person creating the sound is doing it. Imagine if someone was making a nasal sound, perhaps they're not at their best or could be emotional. This approach is re-framing the context of the sound. Although the sound doesn't change, your interpretation of it changes from being irritating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate about it.
