The Holiday Season Often Proves to Be a Nightmare for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
Lottie is looking forward to being with her loved ones this Christmas, but notes one of the only ways she'll manage to get through it is by relying on her earplugs - notably for the main festive feast.
For the 23-year-old, this time of year often feels like a especially challenging season as the auditory triggers of people eating, sipping loudly and nose-blowing cause her profound anxiety.
"I get this sensation of sudden panic, my whole body will just tense up and it as though I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to stop these sounds."
Lottie has suffered from sound sensitivity since she was 16 and for her that renders the holiday period "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to specific noises, especially noises produced by other people.
The condition is widespread across the population. A study reported a significant portion of people experience it.
Often it's noises associated with bodily functions that trigger a reaction, along with things like crunching, heavy breathing, and pen clicking.
A Source of Dread
She explains: "I face so many assorted problematic noises at Christmas and that can be stressful and make you dread it.
"Those close to me are supportive, 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 guarantee others enjoy themselves."
So it's clear why the most wonderful season can rapidly become a source of agony for affected individuals.
Sounds that may appear innocuous, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, unwrapping gifts, or enjoying festive food can provoke a powerful reaction that can even result in them withdrawing from gatherings.
She, a university student, who has experienced sound sensitivity since aged 10, explains the approach she intends to use is to use headphones to manage the meal. Typically, she would often retreat in a separate space to minimize problematic noises.
She says her sensitivity is more intense around people she's most familiar with, so Christmas is always "difficult".
"There's an expectation to spend time with loved ones, and I want to, but it's draining.
"The sensation is this uncontrollable anger comes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel stressed and immediately start crying and then the stress response will kick in.
"It may seem as if I'm being unreasonable and melodramatic, but it's hard to explain unless you've experienced it."
Several Strategies to Cope
For those affected then there are a few methods you can use to handle the situation, based on advice from clinical psychologists.
- Visualise a Different Scenario: Creative thinking is crucial. Attempt to link the specific noise causing distress with a neutral concept. So for example, try to imagine someone's slurping is just a waterfall. This technique is to teach your brain that the sound triggering you poses no threat.
- Make it a Game: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a competition with the person. As an example, if someone is eating noisily try mimicking the sound. By joining in, rather than feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an engaged person. And the challenge should help distract your brain and make you a little less affected.
- Develop a Narrative: One more method is to try to create a little story about the reason someone making the noise is doing it. So if someone was sniffing, perhaps they're not in good health or maybe they're upset. By doing this is changing the meaning of the sound. While the sound remains identical, your interpretation of it moves from being irritating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate towards it.
