The Holiday Season Often Proves to Be a Living Hell for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
One young woman hopes for being with her relatives over the holidays, but says a primary method she'll cope is by using her earplugs - especially during Christmas dinner.
For the 23-year-old, this time of year can be a notably tough time as the noises of other people chewing, drinking noisily and breathing heavily make her feel extremely uncomfortable.
"I experience this sensation of instant dread, my whole body will just freeze and it feels like I'm in peril, and I need to stop these noises."
The individual has suffered from misophonia since she was 16 and for her that causes the holiday period "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to certain sounds, particularly those coming from individuals.
It's surprisingly common across the population. A study discovered a significant portion of people are affected by it.
Typically it's noises linked to mouth, throat or facial movements that trigger a reaction, including examples such as crunching, breathing, and pen clicking.
A Source of Dread
Lottie says: "I face so many assorted problematic noises at Christmas and that can be anxiety inducing and make you fear it.
"My relatives are aware, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to upset others. It's like a internal conflict of sacrificing my own sanity to make sure others enjoy themselves."
So it's obvious why the traditionally happy season can quickly turn into a source of agony for affected individuals.
Noises that may be considered normal, like someone sipping a beverage, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or enjoying festive food can trigger a visceral feeling that can even cause them withdrawing from gatherings.
She, a university student, who has struggled with misophonia from childhood, says currently her plan is to put her earphones in to cope. On any other day, she would frequently go in a different room to avoid distressing triggers.
She notes her sensitivity is worse around people she's most familiar with, so Christmas is always "hard".
"There's an expectation to socialize with family, and I wish to, but it's draining.
"The sensation is this intense irritation takes hold, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel anxious and begin to weep and then fight-or-flight will activate.
"It can come across as if I'm being unreasonable and overreacting, but it's difficult to convey unless you've experienced it."
Several Strategies to Manage
If you suffer then there are various strategies you can attempt to manage the situation, based on advice from experts.
- Picture a Different Scenario: Creative thinking is key. Work on connecting the particular sound causing distress with something completely different. For instance, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. The goal is to help your brain learn that the sound affecting you is neutral.
- Try a Competition: Introduce playfulness and turn the annoying sound into a game with the culprit. As an example, if someone is eating noisily have a go at joining in. Through participation, instead of feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an active participant. And the challenge should help distract your brain and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Craft a Story: Another technique is to try to create a little story about the reason someone creating the sound is doing it. Imagine if someone was sniffing, it could be that they're not in good health or maybe they're upset. This approach is changing the meaning of the sound. Although the noise remains identical, your reaction of it moves from being irritating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate about it.
