The Holiday Season Can Be a Terrifying Experience for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
Lottie hopes for spending time with her loved ones this Christmas, but notes one of the only ways she'll endure is by wearing her hearing protection - notably for the main festive feast.
For her, the holidays is a notably tough time as the auditory triggers of other people chewing, sipping loudly and nose-blowing cause her extremely uncomfortable.
"There's this wave of sudden panic, my entire being will just freeze and it as though I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to somehow control these noises."
She has suffered from this condition for several years and for her that causes the Christmas time "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to particular auditory triggers, particularly those made by those around you.
It is prevalent amongst adults. A study reported a significant portion of people suffer from it.
Typically it's sounds associated with bodily functions that cause distress, along with examples such as chewing, heavy breathing, and pen clicking.
A Source of Dread
She explains: "I face so many assorted problematic noises at Christmas and that can be stressful and make you fear it.
"Those close to me are aware, but I'm very aware that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a constant struggle of enduring my distress to make sure everyone else is happy."
So it's easy to understand why the most wonderful time of the year can rapidly become a stressful ordeal for affected individuals.
Triggers that may seem harmless, like someone drinking champagne, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can trigger a visceral feeling that can even result in them skipping events entirely.
The student, a young adult, who has experienced misophonia since aged 10, explains her strategy is to use headphones to get through dinner. On any other day, she would often retreat in a separate space to avoid triggering sounds.
She explains her sensitivity is more intense around people she's most familiar with, so Christmas is always "hard".
"People assume you to be around loved ones, and I want to, but it's draining.
"It's like this sudden rage washes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel stressed and begin to weep and then panic will kick in.
"It can come across as if I'm being unreasonable and melodramatic, but it's tough to describe if you haven't felt it."
Three Ways to Manage
If you suffer then there are some different techniques you can try to cope the situation, as suggested by specialists.
- Picture Something Else: Imagination is key. Try to associate the specific noise bothering you with an unrelated image. As an illustration, try to imagine someone's slurping is just a waterfall. By doing this is to help your brain learn that the sound triggering you is neutral.
- Use Humor: Use lightheartedness and turn the annoying sound into a challenge involving the source. For instance, if someone is crunching loudly attempt mimicking the sound. By mimicking, rather than feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an engaged person. And the game aspect should help shift your attention and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Develop a Narrative: A further strategy is to try to fabricate an explanation about why the person making the noise is having to make that sound. Imagine if someone was making a nasal sound, maybe they are not at their best or could be emotional. By doing this is re-framing the context of the sound. While the noise remains identical, your reaction of it moves from being annoying, to feeling a slightly more compassionate about it.
