Christmas Transforms Into a Living Hell for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
One young woman anticipates spending time with her family during the festive period, but says one of the only ways she'll cope is by wearing her hearing protection - particularly at the main festive feast.
For her, Christmas often feels like a especially challenging season as the noises of family members munching, slurping and breathing heavily make her feel intense distress.
"I experience this wave of instant dread, my whole body will just freeze and it seems as if I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to stop these sounds."
Lottie has experienced sound sensitivity from a young age and for her that makes the festive season "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to specific noises, notably sounds made by those around you.
It's surprisingly common in the UK. Experts found a significant portion of people suffer from it.
Typically it's sounds associated with eating or drinking that cause distress, as well as examples such as crunching, breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
'Anxiety Inducing'
She explains: "There are so many different triggering sounds at Christmas and that can be anxiety inducing and make you want to avoid it.
"My family are aware, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a really big battle of managing my symptoms to make sure everyone else is happy."
So it's easy to understand why the most wonderful time of the year can transform into a source of agony for those with the condition.
Sounds that may appear innocuous, like someone sipping a beverage, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or eating the holiday meal can provoke a visceral feeling that can even result in them withdrawing from gatherings.
The student, a young adult, who has struggled with misophonia for over a decade, explains currently her plan is to put her earphones in to manage the meal. Typically, she would frequently go in a separate space to minimize distressing triggers.
She notes her condition is worse around people she's most comfortable with, so Christmas is always "hard".
"People assume you to socialize with family, and I want to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"The sensation is this uncontrollable anger comes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel stressed and immediately start crying and then fight-or-flight will activate.
"To others it appears as if I'm being oversensitive and melodramatic, but it's difficult to convey unless you've experienced it."
A Few Techniques to Handle It
For those affected then there are various strategies you can attempt to manage the situation, according to clinical psychologists.
- Imagine Something Else: Mental imagery is key. Try to associate the particular sound bothering you with a neutral concept. For instance, try to picture someone's noisy drinking is just a sink draining water. This technique is to teach your brain that the sound affecting you isn't harmful.
- Try a Competition: Introduce playfulness and turn the annoying sound into a competition involving the source. For instance, if someone is eating noisily attempt copying the noise. By joining in, rather than feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an active participant. And the challenge should help shift your attention and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Develop a Narrative: A further strategy is to try to invent a reason about the reason someone making the noise is having to make that sound. So if someone was sniffing, perhaps they're not at their best or are troubled. By doing this is re-framing the context of the sound. Although the sound remains identical, your interpretation of it moves from being irritating, to feeling a little more neutral about it.
