Yuletide Often Proves to Be a Nightmare for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
A 23-year-old hopes for seeing her family over the holidays, but notes a key strategy she'll cope is by relying on her hearing protection - especially during Christmas dinner.
For her, the holidays is a particularly difficult period as the sounds of other people chewing, slurping and sniffling cause her intense distress.
"There's this feeling of instant dread, my entire being will just tense up and it as though I'm in danger, and I need to manage these sounds."
She has experienced misophonia since she was 16 and for her that makes the holiday period "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to particular auditory triggers, especially noises produced by individuals.
The condition is widespread amongst adults. Researchers discovered almost one in five people suffer from it.
Frequently it's sounds linked to eating or drinking that trigger a reaction, as well as examples such as chewing, heavy breathing, and foot tapping.
Triggering Stress
Lottie says: "I face so many different triggering sounds at the holidays and that can be stressful and make you fear it.
"Those close to me are understanding, but I'm very aware that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a really big battle of managing my symptoms to ensure the event goes smoothly."
So it's obvious why the supposedly joyous time of the year can quickly turn into a source of agony for sufferers.
Triggers that may appear innocuous, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, unwrapping gifts, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can provoke a strong emotional response that can even result in them withdrawing from gatherings.
Jenna, a university student, who has dealt with misophonia for over a decade, explains currently her plan is to listen to music to manage the meal. Typically, she would usually isolate herself in a separate space to avoid distressing triggers.
She explains her misophonia is worse around people she's most familiar with, so the holidays is always "difficult".
"People assume you to be around loved ones, and I desire to, but it's draining.
"It's like this uncontrollable anger washes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel stressed and begin to weep and then the stress response will activate.
"It can come across as if I'm being difficult and melodramatic, but it's hard to explain without firsthand experience."
A Few Techniques to Manage
If you suffer then there are a few methods you can try to cope the situation, as suggested by experts.
- Imagine Something Else: Imagination is crucial. Try to associate the triggering sound bothering you with an unrelated image. As an illustration, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. The goal is to help your brain learn that the sound triggering you isn't harmful.
- Use Humor: Use lightheartedness and make the irritating noise into a challenge involving the source. For example, if someone is eating noisily attempt copying the noise. Through participation, rather than feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an active participant. And the competition element should help distract your brain and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Craft a Story: Another technique is to try to fabricate an explanation about the reason someone making the noise is behaving that way. So if someone was making a nasal sound, maybe they are not in good health or are troubled. By doing this is altering the perception of the sound. While the noise doesn't change, your reaction of it changes from being annoying, to feeling a slightly more compassionate about it.