Christmas Transforms Into a Terrifying Experience for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
A 23-year-old hopes for spending time with her relatives this Christmas, but says one of the only ways she'll endure is by wearing her earplugs - notably for the holiday meal.
In her case, Christmas can be a notably tough season as the auditory triggers of family members munching, slurping and nose-blowing trigger extremely uncomfortable.
"I get this feeling of instant dread, my whole body will just tighten and it seems as if I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to stop these triggers."
Lottie has suffered from sound sensitivity from a young age and for her that makes the Christmas time "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to particular auditory triggers, especially noises coming from those around you.
It is prevalent in the UK. Researchers reported nearly 20% people experience it.
Often it's noises linked to bodily functions that trigger a reaction, along with things like chewing, breathing, and pen clicking.
Triggering Stress
She explains: "I face so many different triggering sounds at Christmas and that can be daunting and make you dread it.
"Those close to me are supportive, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to upset others. It's like a constant struggle of enduring my distress to ensure others enjoy themselves."
So it's obvious why the most wonderful time of the year can quickly turn into a living nightmare for affected individuals.
Sounds that may be considered normal, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, opening presents, or enjoying festive food can cause a powerful reaction that can even cause them avoiding social settings altogether.
The student, a young adult, who has experienced misophonia since aged 10, states currently her plan is to use headphones to get through dinner. On any other day, she would frequently go in a separate space to escape triggering sounds.
She notes her sensitivity is worse around people she's most comfortable with, so the holidays is always "hard".
"There is pressure to spend time with family, and I wish to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"It's like this intense irritation washes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel stressed and begin to weep and then panic will kick in.
"To others it appears as if I'm being difficult and overreacting, but it's hard to explain if you haven't felt it."
Several Strategies to Handle It
For those affected then there are some different techniques you can use to handle the situation, as suggested by clinical psychologists.
- Visualise a Different Scenario: Creative thinking is key. Attempt to link the specific noise bothering you with something completely different. For instance, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a sink draining water. By doing this is to teach your brain that the sound triggering you poses no threat.
- Try a Competition: Use lightheartedness and make the irritating noise into a game involving the source. As an example, if someone is crunching loudly try mimicking the sound. Through participation, instead of feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an engaged person. 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 invent a reason about why the person making the noise is doing it. So if someone was sniffing, maybe they are not in good health or maybe they're upset. By doing this is altering the perception of the sound. Although the noise remains identical, your interpretation of it moves from being annoying, to feeling a slightly more compassionate towards it.
