Christmas Often Proves to Be a Terrifying Experience for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
One young woman hopes for seeing her family over the holidays, but admits one of the only ways she'll endure is by wearing her noise-cancelling devices - particularly at the holiday meal.
In her case, the holidays is a notably tough season as the sounds of other people chewing, slurping and nose-blowing trigger intense distress.
"I get this wave of instant dread, my entire being will just tighten and it feels like I'm in peril, and I need to manage these noises."
Lottie has experienced sound sensitivity from a young age and for her that renders the festive season "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to particular auditory triggers, particularly those produced by those around you.
The condition is widespread amongst adults. Researchers discovered a significant portion of people are affected by it.
Frequently it's sounds connected to eating or drinking that lead to discomfort, as well as things like crunching, heavy breathing, and pen clicking.
A Source of Dread
She explains: "I face so many different triggering sounds at the holidays and that can be anxiety inducing and make you want to avoid it.
"My family are supportive, but I'm very aware that I don't want to upset others. It's like a internal conflict of managing my symptoms to ensure the event goes smoothly."
So it's clear why the most wonderful time of the year can transform into a stressful ordeal for those with the condition.
Noises that may appear innocuous, like someone sipping a beverage, unwrapping gifts, or enjoying festive food can cause a strong emotional response that can even result in them withdrawing from gatherings.
Jenna, a university student, who has experienced misophonia since aged 10, explains currently her plan is to listen to music to manage the meal. Typically, she would frequently go in a quiet area to escape distressing triggers.
She notes her misophonia is more intense around people she's closest to, so the holidays is always "challenging".
"There's an expectation to be around family, and I want to, but it's draining.
"I feel as if this uncontrollable anger takes hold, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel anxious and begin to weep and then panic will kick in.
"To others it appears as if I'm being oversensitive and dramatic, but it's hard to explain if you haven't felt it."
Several Strategies to Cope
If it's an issue then there are a few methods you can try to cope the situation, according to clinical psychologists.
- Imagine Something Else: Creative thinking is essential. Try to associate the particular sound affecting you with an unrelated image. For instance, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a sink draining water. This technique is to retrain your mind that the sound triggering you is neutral.
- Use Humor: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a game with the culprit. For example, if someone is crunching loudly attempt joining in. Through participation, instead of feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an engaged person. And the challenge should help shift your attention and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Create a Scenario: One more method is to try to fabricate an explanation about the reason someone creating the sound is having to make that sound. Imagine if someone was sniffing, it could be that they're not at their best or are troubled. By doing this is altering the perception of the sound. Although the noise stays the same, your interpretation of it changes from being irritating, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.
