The Holiday Season Often Proves to Be a Nightmare for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
One young woman anticipates being with her relatives over the holidays, but says a primary method she'll endure is by relying on her earplugs - especially during the main festive feast.
In her case, this time of year can be a notably tough time as the noises of family members munching, sipping loudly and breathing heavily trigger profound anxiety.
"There's this sensation of instant dread, my every muscle will just tense up and it feels like I'm in danger, and I need to somehow control these sounds."
Lottie has lived with misophonia from a young age and for her that renders the holiday period "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to specific noises, notably sounds produced by other people.
It's surprisingly common across the population. Researchers reported a significant portion of people experience it.
Frequently it's sounds connected to eating or drinking that cause distress, along with things like chewing, breathing, and pen clicking.
'Anxiety Inducing'
Lottie says: "You encounter so many different triggering sounds at Christmas and that can be daunting and make you fear it.
"Those close to me are aware, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a really big battle of sacrificing my own sanity to make sure everyone else is happy."
So it's easy to understand why the most wonderful season can quickly turn into a source of agony for sufferers.
Noises that may appear innocuous, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, unwrapping gifts, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can trigger a strong emotional response that can even lead to them skipping events entirely.
The student, a 21-year-old student, who has experienced misophonia for over a decade, states the approach she intends to use is to put her earphones in to get through dinner. Usually, she would frequently go in a separate space to avoid problematic noises.
She notes her sensitivity is more intense around people she's most familiar with, so the holidays is always "hard".
"There's an expectation to spend time with loved ones, and I wish to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"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 take over.
"To others it appears as if I'm being oversensitive and melodramatic, but it's hard to explain if you haven't felt it."
A Few Techniques to Handle It
For those affected then there are a few methods you can use to handle the situation, as suggested by clinical psychologists.
- Imagine an Alternative: Mental imagery is essential. Attempt to link the specific noise causing distress with an unrelated image. As an illustration, try to picture someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. This technique is to help your brain learn that the sound affecting you isn't harmful.
- Make it a Game: Introduce playfulness and turn the annoying sound into a competition involving the source. For example, if someone is eating noisily attempt joining in. Through participation, instead of feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an active participant. And the challenge should help shift your attention and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Craft a Story: A further strategy is to try to invent a reason about why the person making the noise is having to make that sound. Imagine if someone was making a nasal sound, maybe they are not in good health or could be emotional. By doing this is altering the perception of the sound. Although the sound stays the same, your reaction of it moves from being irritating, to feeling a bit more accepting towards it.
