Yuletide Can Be a Living Hell for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
One young woman anticipates spending time with her relatives during the festive period, but notes a primary method she'll manage to get through it is by relying on her earplugs - particularly at the holiday meal.
In her case, Christmas often feels like a notably tough time as the auditory triggers of people eating, sipping loudly and sniffling trigger intense distress.
"I get this sensation of immediate anxiety, my whole body will just freeze and it as though I'm in peril, and I need to manage these triggers."
Lottie has experienced sound sensitivity for several years and for her that renders the Christmas time "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to specific noises, especially noises made by individuals.
The condition is widespread in the UK. Experts reported nearly 20% people experience it.
Typically it's sounds linked to bodily functions that cause distress, as well as things like chewing, breathing, and foot tapping.
A Source of Dread
She explains: "I face so many assorted problematic noises at the holidays and that can be anxiety inducing and make you dread it.
"Those close to me are understanding, 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 everyone else is happy."
So it's clear why the traditionally happy time of the year can transform into a source of agony for affected individuals.
Triggers that may be considered normal, like someone drinking champagne, unwrapping gifts, or eating the holiday meal can trigger a strong emotional response that can even cause them skipping events entirely.
The student, a 21-year-old student, who has experienced sound sensitivity for over a decade, states the approach she intends to use is to use headphones to cope. Typically, she would often retreat in a different room to escape distressing triggers.
She says her misophonia is more pronounced around people she's most familiar with, so the holidays is always "difficult".
"People assume you to socialize with loved ones, and I want to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"The sensation is this uncontrollable anger comes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel panicked and burst into tears and then the stress response will take over.
"It may seem as if I'm being unreasonable and dramatic, but it's difficult to convey unless you've experienced it."
Several Strategies to Handle It
If you suffer then there are some different techniques you can use to handle the situation, according to clinical psychologists.
- Visualise Something Else: Mental imagery is crucial. Try to associate the triggering sound causing distress with something completely different. As an illustration, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. By doing this is to retrain your mind that the sound triggering you is neutral.
- Use Humor: Have a bit of fun and make the irritating noise into a challenge involving the source. For instance, if someone is crunching loudly have a go at mimicking the sound. Through participation, rather than feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an engaged person. And the game aspect should help redirect your focus and make you a little less affected.
- Develop a Narrative: A further strategy is to try to create a little story about the reason someone making the noise is behaving that way. For example if someone was making a nasal sound, it could be that they're not feeling well or maybe they're upset. The idea is altering the perception of the sound. Even though the sound stays the same, your interpretation of it moves from being annoying, to feeling a little more neutral about it.
