Christmas Transforms Into a Terrifying Experience for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
Lottie hopes for spending time with her relatives during the festive period, but says a primary method she'll manage to get through it is by relying on her noise-cancelling devices - notably for the holiday meal.
In her case, the holidays can be a notably tough season as the noises of family members munching, slurping and nose-blowing cause her extremely uncomfortable.
"There's this wave of instant dread, my whole body will just freeze and it feels like I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to stop these triggers."
The individual has experienced this condition since she was 16 and for her that renders the holiday period "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to particular auditory triggers, especially noises produced by those around you.
It is prevalent amongst adults. A study reported nearly 20% people suffer from it.
Typically it's sounds linked to mouth, throat or facial movements that cause distress, as well as examples such as chewing, heavy breathing, and foot tapping.
'Anxiety Inducing'
Lottie says: "I face so many different triggering sounds at Christmas and that can be daunting and make you want to avoid it.
"Those close to me are understanding, but I'm very aware that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a really big battle of sacrificing my own sanity to ensure others enjoy themselves."
So it's obvious why the most wonderful period can rapidly become a stressful ordeal for affected individuals.
Noises that may appear innocuous, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, unwrapping gifts, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can cause a strong emotional response that can even cause them withdrawing from gatherings.
She, a 21-year-old student, 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 usually isolate herself in a different room to avoid problematic noises.
She explains her misophonia is more intense around people she's closest to, so Christmas is always "challenging".
"There is pressure to socialize with family, and I want to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"The sensation is this intense irritation washes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel anxious and begin to weep and then panic will activate.
"It may seem as if I'm being unreasonable and melodramatic, but it's hard to explain without firsthand experience."
Three Ways to Manage
If it's an issue then there are some different techniques you can use to handle the situation, based on advice from specialists.
- Picture an Alternative: Creative thinking is crucial. Work on connecting the particular sound bothering you with something completely different. As an illustration, try to imagine someone's slurping is just a waterfall. By doing this is to teach your brain that the sound affecting you isn't harmful.
- Make it a Game: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a game involving the source. For instance, if someone is crunching loudly have a go at joining in. Through participation, instead of feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an engaged person. And the competition element 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 why the person creating the sound is having to make that sound. So if someone was sniffing, it could be that they're not in good health or are troubled. By doing this is re-framing the context of the sound. Even though the noise remains identical, your interpretation of it changes from being aggravating, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.
