Christmas Often Proves to Be a Living Hell for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
Lottie is looking forward to being with her relatives over the holidays, but says a key strategy she'll cope is by wearing her hearing protection - especially during Christmas dinner.
For the 23-year-old, Christmas is a particularly difficult season as the auditory triggers of family members munching, slurping and sniffling trigger extremely uncomfortable.
"There's this sensation of immediate anxiety, my whole body will just tighten and it seems as if I'm in danger, and I need to somehow control these sounds."
She has experienced this condition for several years and for her that causes the festive season "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to certain sounds, notably sounds made by individuals.
The condition is widespread amongst adults. Researchers reported a significant portion of people suffer from it.
Often it's noises connected to bodily functions that cause distress, as well as things like crunching, heavy breathing, and pen clicking.
A Source of Dread
The sufferer notes: "I face so many assorted problematic noises at Christmas and that can be daunting and make you fear it.
"My relatives are understanding, but I'm very aware that I don't want to upset others. It's like a really big battle of enduring my distress to ensure others enjoy themselves."
So it's obvious why the most wonderful season can rapidly become a stressful ordeal for sufferers.
Triggers that may be considered normal, like someone drinking champagne, opening presents, or eating the holiday meal can provoke a visceral feeling that can even cause them skipping events entirely.
Jenna, a 21-year-old student, who has struggled with misophonia for over a decade, says her strategy is to listen to music to manage the meal. Typically, she would frequently go in a different room to escape problematic noises.
She notes her condition is more pronounced around people she's closest to, so Christmas is always "difficult".
"There's an expectation to be around family, and I wish to, but it's draining.
"It's like this sudden rage washes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel panicked and burst into tears and then panic will activate.
"To others it appears as if I'm being oversensitive and overreacting, but it's tough to describe unless you've experienced it."
Several Strategies to Cope
For those affected then there are various strategies you can try to cope the situation, based on advice from experts.
- Visualise a Different Scenario: Imagination is crucial. Work on connecting the specific noise bothering you with something completely different. So for example, try to envision someone's noisy drinking is just a waterfall. By doing this is to retrain your mind that the sound triggering you isn't harmful.
- Use Humor: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a competition involving the source. For instance, if someone is eating noisily have a go at mimicking the sound. By joining in, instead of feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an willing part. And the competition element should help distract your brain and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Craft a Story: A further strategy is to try to fabricate an explanation about why the person making the noise is having to make that sound. Imagine if someone was making a nasal sound, perhaps they're not at their best or could be emotional. By doing this is changing the meaning of the sound. While the noise remains identical, your understanding of it moves from being aggravating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate towards it.
