The Holiday Season Can Be a Terrifying Experience for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
Lottie anticipates spending time with her relatives over the holidays, but admits a key strategy she'll cope is by using her earplugs - notably for the main festive feast.
For the 23-year-old, the holidays often feels like a especially challenging season as the sounds of other people chewing, sipping loudly and nose-blowing make her feel intense distress.
"I get this wave of sudden panic, my whole body will just tense up and it as though I'm in danger, and I need to somehow control these noises."
She has experienced this condition for several years and for her that makes the festive season "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to particular auditory triggers, especially noises coming from other people.
The condition is widespread amongst adults. A study reported almost one in five people suffer from it.
Typically it's noises connected to eating or drinking that lead to discomfort, including examples such as chewing, breathing, and pen clicking.
A Source of Dread
She explains: "You encounter so many assorted problematic noises at Christmas and that can be anxiety inducing and make you want to avoid it.
"My family are understanding, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to upset others. It's like a constant struggle of managing my symptoms to guarantee everyone else is happy."
So it's obvious why the most wonderful time of the year can rapidly become a source of agony for sufferers.
Noises that may be considered normal, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, unwrapping gifts, or eating the holiday meal can trigger a strong emotional response that can even result in them avoiding social settings altogether.
Jenna, a young adult, who has experienced sound sensitivity from childhood, explains currently her plan is to listen to music to get through dinner. Typically, she would usually isolate herself in a different room to escape distressing triggers.
She says her condition is more pronounced around people she's closest to, so the holidays is always "hard".
"There is pressure to socialize with loved ones, and I desire to, but it's draining.
"The sensation is this uncontrollable anger takes hold, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel stressed and burst into tears and then panic will kick in.
"It may seem as if I'm being difficult and overreacting, but it's hard to explain unless you've experienced it."
Several Strategies to Manage
For those affected then there are a few methods you can try to cope the situation, as suggested by specialists.
- Imagine an Alternative: Creative thinking is essential. Attempt to link the specific noise causing distress with a neutral concept. For instance, try to envision someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. The goal is to teach your brain that the sound triggering you poses no threat.
- Try a Competition: Have a bit of fun and make the irritating noise into a challenge with the person. For instance, if someone is crunching loudly have a go at copying the noise. Through participation, rather than feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an engaged person. And the challenge should help distract your brain and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Develop a Narrative: One more method is to try to create a little story about the reason someone making the noise is doing it. For example if someone was sniffing, maybe they are not feeling well or are troubled. By doing this is changing the meaning of the sound. Even though the noise stays the same, your reaction of it moves from being annoying, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.
