Yuletide Often Proves to Be a Living Hell for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
One young woman anticipates being with her loved ones during the festive period, but notes a key strategy she'll manage to get through it is by wearing her noise-cancelling devices - notably for Christmas dinner.
For the 23-year-old, the holidays is a particularly difficult time as the sounds of people eating, sipping loudly and nose-blowing trigger extremely uncomfortable.
"There's this wave of sudden panic, my whole body will just tense up and it feels like I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to manage these sounds."
Lottie has lived with misophonia for several years and for her that makes the festive season "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to specific noises, especially noises made by other people.
It's surprisingly common amongst adults. Researchers found almost one in five people experience it.
Typically it's sounds linked to eating or drinking that lead to discomfort, including things like chewing, heavy breathing, and pen clicking.
A Source of Dread
Lottie says: "There are so many assorted problematic noises at the holidays and that can be stressful and make you fear it.
"Those close to me are understanding, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to upset others. It's like a really big battle of enduring my distress to make sure others enjoy themselves."
So it's obvious why the most wonderful time of the year can transform into a stressful ordeal for those with the condition.
Sounds that may seem harmless, like someone sipping a beverage, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can cause a visceral feeling that can even result in them avoiding social settings altogether.
The student, a 21-year-old student, who has struggled with sound sensitivity from childhood, explains her strategy is to put her earphones in to cope. On any other day, she would frequently go in a different room to escape triggering sounds.
She notes her condition is more pronounced around people she's closest to, so the holidays is always "hard".
"There is pressure to be around family, and I want to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"I feel as if this sudden rage washes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel anxious and begin to weep and then the stress response will activate.
"It can come across as if I'm being unreasonable and dramatic, but it's hard to explain without firsthand experience."
Several Strategies to Manage
For those affected then there are some different techniques you can try to cope the situation, as suggested by clinical psychologists.
- Imagine an Alternative: Creative thinking is essential. Work on connecting the triggering sound causing distress with something completely different. As an illustration, try to imagine someone's slurping is just a sink draining water. The goal is to retrain your mind that the sound affecting you isn't harmful.
- Make it a Game: Use lightheartedness and make the irritating noise into a challenge with the culprit. For example, if someone is eating noisily attempt copying the noise. By joining in, instead of feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an engaged person. And the challenge should help shift your attention and make you a little less affected.
- Develop a Narrative: Another technique is to try to invent a reason about the reason someone making the noise is behaving that way. So if someone was making a nasal sound, maybe they are not feeling well or maybe they're upset. This approach is altering the perception of the sound. Even though the noise remains identical, your reaction of it shifts from being aggravating, to feeling a little more neutral about it.
