Christmas Can Be a Nightmare for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
A 23-year-old anticipates seeing her relatives during the festive period, but notes one of the only ways she'll manage to get through it is by using her hearing protection - notably for the holiday meal.
For her, Christmas can be a notably tough time as the auditory triggers of people eating, sipping loudly and sniffling trigger profound anxiety.
"I experience this feeling of immediate anxiety, my entire being will just tighten and it as though I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to manage these sounds."
The individual has suffered from this condition since she was 16 and for her that renders the festive season "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to certain sounds, notably sounds produced by those around you.
It's surprisingly common in the UK. Experts discovered a significant portion of people are affected by it.
Frequently it's noises connected to eating or drinking that lead to discomfort, including examples such as crunching, breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
'Anxiety Inducing'
Lottie says: "There are so many different triggering sounds at Christmas and that can be stressful and make you fear it.
"My family are aware, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a really big battle of enduring my distress to make sure everyone else is happy."
So it's clear why the traditionally happy period can transform into a source of agony for those with the condition.
Triggers that may be considered normal, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, opening presents, or eating the holiday meal can cause a strong emotional response that can even result in them avoiding social settings altogether.
The student, a young adult, who has experienced sound sensitivity for over a decade, says her strategy is to listen to music to manage the meal. Usually, she would often retreat in a separate space to minimize problematic noises.
She explains her sensitivity is worse around people she's most comfortable with, so Christmas is always "challenging".
"There's an expectation to socialize with loved ones, and I wish to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"I feel as if this intense irritation comes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel anxious and burst into tears and then the stress response will kick in.
"It may seem as if I'm being unreasonable and overreacting, but it's hard to explain if you haven't felt it."
A Few Techniques to Cope
If you suffer then there are some different techniques you can use to handle the situation, according to experts.
- Visualise a Different Scenario: Creative thinking is essential. Work on connecting the particular sound affecting you with an unrelated image. As an illustration, try to picture someone's noisy drinking is just a waterfall. The goal is to help your brain learn that the sound triggering you is neutral.
- Try a Competition: Use lightheartedness and turn the annoying sound into a game with the culprit. For example, if someone is crunching loudly have a go at joining in. By joining in, rather than feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an active participant. And the game aspect should help shift your attention and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Create a Scenario: A further strategy is to try to create a little story about the reason someone making the noise is behaving that way. For example if someone was making a nasal sound, it could be that they're not at their best or maybe they're upset. The idea is changing the meaning of the sound. Even though the noise doesn't change, your interpretation of it shifts from being aggravating, to feeling a bit more accepting towards it.
