Yuletide Transforms Into a Terrifying Experience for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
A 23-year-old hopes for being with her family over the holidays, but admits a key strategy she'll endure is by wearing her earplugs - especially during Christmas dinner.
For her, Christmas can be a especially challenging time as the noises of family members munching, drinking noisily and sniffling trigger intense distress.
"I get this wave of instant dread, my entire being will just freeze and it feels like I'm in danger, and I need to manage these triggers."
The individual has lived with misophonia from a young age and for her that renders the festive season "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to certain sounds, notably sounds coming from those around you.
It's surprisingly common across the population. A study discovered nearly 20% people suffer from it.
Typically it's sounds associated with eating or drinking that lead to discomfort, along with things like chewing, heavy breathing, and foot tapping.
Triggering Stress
Lottie says: "I face so many various auditory triggers at Christmas and that can be anxiety inducing and make you want to avoid it.
"Those close to me are supportive, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a really big battle of enduring my distress to guarantee the event goes smoothly."
So it's obvious why the supposedly joyous season can quickly turn into a stressful ordeal for those with the condition.
Sounds that may seem harmless, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can provoke a strong emotional response that can even cause them withdrawing from gatherings.
Jenna, a university student, who has experienced sound sensitivity for over a decade, states the approach she intends to use is to use headphones to get through dinner. Typically, she would frequently go in a different room to escape distressing triggers.
She explains her condition is worse around people she's most comfortable with, so the holidays is always "difficult".
"There's an expectation to socialize with family, and I desire to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"The sensation is this intense irritation washes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel anxious and burst into tears and then panic will kick in.
"To others it appears as if I'm being oversensitive and melodramatic, but it's difficult to convey if you haven't felt it."
A Few Techniques to Manage
If you suffer then there are some different techniques you can attempt to manage the situation, based on advice from specialists.
- Imagine an Alternative: Mental imagery is key. Work on connecting the specific noise affecting you with an unrelated image. For instance, try to envision someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. This technique is to retrain your mind that the sound affecting you is neutral.
- Make it a Game: Have a bit of fun and turn the annoying sound into a competition with the person. For instance, if someone is crunching loudly attempt mimicking the sound. Through participation, instead of feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an willing part. And the game aspect should help redirect your focus and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Craft a Story: A further strategy is to try to create a little story about the reason someone creating the sound is behaving that way. So if someone was sniffing, maybe they are not feeling well or maybe they're upset. By doing this is re-framing the context of the sound. Even though the sound stays the same, your interpretation of it moves from being irritating, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.