Christmas Transforms Into a Terrifying Experience for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
One young woman hopes for seeing her relatives over the holidays, but says a primary method she'll manage to get through it is by relying on her noise-cancelling devices - particularly at the main festive feast.
For her, this time of year is a particularly difficult season as the noises of other people chewing, slurping and breathing heavily trigger extremely uncomfortable.
"I experience this sensation of instant dread, my whole body will just freeze and it as though I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to manage these sounds."
The individual has lived with sound sensitivity for several years and for her that causes the Christmas time "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to certain sounds, especially noises coming from individuals.
The condition is widespread amongst adults. Researchers found a significant portion of people suffer from it.
Typically it's sounds connected to bodily functions that lead to discomfort, as well as examples such as crunching, breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
Triggering Stress
Lottie says: "There are so many different triggering sounds at Christmas and that can be anxiety inducing and make you fear it.
"My relatives are aware, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a constant struggle of sacrificing my own sanity to guarantee everyone else is happy."
So it's easy to understand why the traditionally happy season can transform into a source of agony for affected individuals.
Triggers that may appear innocuous, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, unwrapping gifts, or eating the holiday meal can provoke a visceral feeling that can even cause them withdrawing from gatherings.
Jenna, a young adult, who has experienced misophonia since aged 10, says currently her plan is to listen to music to get through dinner. On any other day, she would frequently go in a different room to minimize problematic noises.
She notes her sensitivity is more intense around people she's most familiar with, so Christmas is always "hard".
"There is pressure to socialize with family, and I desire to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"The sensation is this intense irritation washes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel anxious and immediately start crying and then the stress response will kick in.
"It may seem as if I'm being oversensitive and dramatic, but it's difficult to convey if you haven't felt it."
A Few Techniques to Manage
If you suffer then there are various strategies you can attempt to manage the situation, according to experts.
- Picture a Different Scenario: Imagination is essential. Attempt to link the specific noise causing distress with an unrelated image. So for example, try to picture someone's noisy drinking is just a waterfall. By doing this is to teach your brain that the sound affecting you poses no threat.
- Try a Competition: Have a bit of fun and make the irritating noise into a competition with the person. For example, if someone is eating noisily have a go at 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 slightly more tolerant.
- Develop a Narrative: One more method is to try to invent a reason about why the person making the noise is behaving that way. So if someone was making a nasal sound, it could be that they're not at their best or could be emotional. By doing this is altering the perception of the sound. Even though the noise stays the same, your understanding of it moves from being annoying, to feeling a little more neutral towards it.
