Yuletide Transforms Into a Nightmare for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
Lottie anticipates seeing her loved ones over the holidays, but notes a key strategy she'll cope is by relying on her hearing protection - notably for the main festive feast.
In her case, this time of year often feels like a notably tough period as the noises of other people chewing, slurping and sniffling trigger extremely uncomfortable.
"I get this wave of sudden panic, my whole body will just freeze and it as though I'm in peril, and I need to manage these triggers."
She has lived with misophonia from a young age and for her that makes the holiday period "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to certain sounds, especially noises coming from those around you.
The condition is widespread in the UK. Researchers found nearly 20% people experience it.
Often it's noises linked to eating or drinking that cause distress, including things like crunching, breathing, and foot tapping.
'Anxiety Inducing'
Lottie says: "I face so many different triggering sounds at Christmas and that can be anxiety inducing and make you dread it.
"Those close to me are understanding, but I'm very aware that I don't want to upset others. It's like a constant struggle of enduring my distress to guarantee others enjoy themselves."
So it's easy to understand why the traditionally happy time of the year can quickly turn into a stressful ordeal for sufferers.
Noises that may seem harmless, like someone drinking champagne, unwrapping gifts, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can cause a strong emotional response that can even result in them avoiding social settings altogether.
Jenna, a 21-year-old student, who has dealt with misophonia for over a decade, says currently her plan is to use headphones to manage the meal. Typically, she would often retreat in a separate space to escape triggering sounds.
She notes her condition is more intense around people she's most familiar with, so the holidays is always "challenging".
"People assume you to be around loved ones, and I want to, but it's draining.
"It's like this sudden rage comes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel stressed and begin to weep and then panic will kick in.
"To others it appears as if I'm being difficult and overreacting, but it's tough to describe if you haven't felt it."
Several Strategies to Handle It
For those affected then there are a few methods you can try to cope the situation, as suggested by clinical psychologists.
- Imagine a Different Scenario: Imagination is key. Work on connecting the specific noise bothering you with an unrelated image. As an illustration, try to envision someone's noisy drinking is just a waterfall. This technique is to teach your brain that the sound triggering you is neutral.
- Make it a Game: Introduce playfulness and turn the annoying sound into a challenge with the culprit. For example, if someone is eating noisily attempt joining in. By mimicking, rather than feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an active participant. And the competition element should help shift your attention and make you a little less affected.
- Create a Scenario: Another technique is to try to invent a reason about why the person creating the sound is doing it. Imagine if someone was sniffing, it could be that they're not feeling well or maybe they're upset. The idea is altering the perception of the sound. Although the noise stays the same, your understanding of it shifts from being irritating, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.
