Yuletide Often Proves to Be a Terrifying Experience for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
A 23-year-old is looking forward to seeing her relatives over the holidays, but notes a primary method she'll endure is by relying on her earplugs - especially during the main festive feast.
For her, Christmas can be a particularly difficult time as the auditory triggers of people eating, slurping and sniffling trigger intense distress.
"There's this sensation of sudden panic, my entire being will just tense up and it seems as if I'm in danger, and I need to stop these sounds."
She has lived with misophonia from a young age and for her that causes the festive season "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to particular auditory triggers, particularly those produced by individuals.
It is prevalent across the population. A study reported a significant portion of people are affected by it.
Typically it's noises linked to mouth, throat or facial movements that lead to discomfort, as well as examples such as crunching, breathing, and pen clicking.
A Source of Dread
Lottie says: "I face so many various auditory triggers at Christmas and that can be stressful and make you dread it.
"My family are supportive, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a really big battle of managing my symptoms to ensure everyone else is happy."
So it's clear why the supposedly joyous period can quickly turn into a stressful ordeal for affected individuals.
Sounds that may appear innocuous, like someone sipping a beverage, opening presents, or enjoying festive food can trigger a visceral feeling that can even result in them withdrawing from gatherings.
The student, a university student, who has struggled with misophonia for over a decade, says currently her plan is to put her earphones in to get through dinner. Typically, she would usually isolate herself in a separate space to escape problematic noises.
She says her misophonia is worse around people she's most familiar with, so the holidays is always "challenging".
"There is pressure to be around loved ones, and I want to, but it's draining.
"I feel as if this intense irritation washes 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 unreasonable and melodramatic, but it's difficult to convey if you haven't felt it."
A Few Techniques to Handle It
If you suffer then there are some different techniques you can try to cope the situation, according to specialists.
- Imagine an Alternative: Mental imagery is crucial. Work on connecting the specific noise bothering you with a neutral concept. As an illustration, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a sink draining water. By doing this is to help your brain learn that the sound affecting you poses no threat.
- Make it a Game: Have a bit of fun and make the irritating noise into a competition with the person. As an example, if someone is crunching loudly have a go at mimicking the sound. Through participation, instead of feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an engaged person. And the challenge should help redirect your focus and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Develop a Narrative: One more method is to try to create a little story about the reason someone making the noise is having to make that sound. So if someone was sniffing, maybe they are not feeling well or maybe they're upset. By doing this is altering the perception of the sound. Although the sound remains identical, your understanding of it changes from being aggravating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate about it.
