Yuletide Often Proves to Be a Terrifying Experience for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
A 23-year-old is looking forward to being with her family this Christmas, but admits one of the only ways she'll cope is by using her hearing protection - notably for the main festive feast.
In her case, the holidays often feels like a notably tough time as the noises of people eating, slurping and sniffling make her feel extremely uncomfortable.
"There's this feeling of immediate anxiety, my every muscle will just freeze and it seems as if I'm in peril, and I need to manage these triggers."
Lottie has suffered from this condition from a young age and for her that makes the Christmas time "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to specific noises, especially noises produced by those around you.
The condition is widespread across the population. Researchers reported almost one in five people suffer from it.
Typically it's sounds associated with mouth, throat or facial movements that lead to discomfort, including examples such as chewing, heavy breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
'Anxiety Inducing'
She explains: "You encounter so many different triggering sounds at the holidays and that can be stressful and make you want to avoid it.
"My family are aware, but I'm very aware that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a internal conflict of enduring my distress to make sure the event goes smoothly."
So it's easy to understand why the most wonderful time of the year can transform into a living nightmare for affected individuals.
Sounds that may seem harmless, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, unwrapping gifts, or enjoying festive food can provoke a powerful reaction that can even cause them withdrawing from gatherings.
The student, a young adult, who has struggled with misophonia for over a decade, explains the approach she intends to use is to use headphones to get through dinner. Typically, she would usually isolate herself in a different room to escape problematic noises.
She explains her misophonia is more intense around people she's most familiar with, so Christmas is always "challenging".
"People assume you to be around family, and I desire to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"The sensation is this intense irritation washes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel anxious and burst into tears and then panic will activate.
"It can come across as if I'm being unreasonable and melodramatic, but it's tough to describe unless you've experienced it."
A Few Techniques to Handle It
If it's an issue then there are some different techniques you can try to cope the situation, as suggested by clinical psychologists.
- Picture a Different Scenario: Creative thinking is essential. Work on connecting the specific noise bothering you with an unrelated image. As an illustration, try to picture someone's slurping is just a sink draining water. The goal is to teach your brain that the sound affecting you poses no threat.
- Use Humor: Use lightheartedness and make the irritating noise into a challenge with the culprit. As an example, if someone is crunching loudly try mimicking the sound. By mimicking, instead of feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an willing part. And the game aspect should help distract your brain and make you a little less affected.
- Create a Scenario: A further strategy is to try to fabricate an explanation about the reason someone making the noise is behaving that way. Imagine if someone was sniffing, maybe they are not in good health or could be emotional. This approach is altering the perception of the sound. While the noise remains identical, your interpretation of it shifts from being annoying, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.
