Yuletide Transforms Into a Terrifying Experience for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
Lottie anticipates being with her relatives over the holidays, but admits a key strategy she'll endure is by wearing her hearing protection - notably for Christmas dinner.
For the 23-year-old, Christmas often feels like a particularly difficult time as the auditory triggers of people eating, slurping and sniffling trigger intense distress.
"I get this sensation of sudden panic, my every muscle will just freeze and it feels like I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to somehow control these sounds."
She has experienced sound sensitivity from a young age and for her that renders the Christmas time "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to particular auditory triggers, particularly those produced by other people.
It is prevalent across the population. Researchers discovered nearly 20% people are affected by it.
Frequently it's noises associated with eating or drinking that trigger a reaction, along with things like chewing, heavy breathing, and foot tapping.
'Anxiety Inducing'
The sufferer notes: "There are so many different triggering sounds at the holidays and that can be daunting and make you want to avoid it.
"My relatives are supportive, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a internal conflict of enduring my distress to ensure everyone else is happy."
So it's obvious why the traditionally happy season can quickly turn into a stressful ordeal for sufferers.
Sounds that may appear innocuous, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, opening presents, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can provoke a strong emotional response that can even lead to them skipping events entirely.
She, a 21-year-old student, who has struggled with sound sensitivity from childhood, says currently her plan is to use headphones to cope. Usually, she would frequently go in a separate space to avoid triggering sounds.
She explains her condition is more pronounced around people she's most familiar with, so the holidays is always "difficult".
"There is pressure to socialize with family, and I want to, but it's draining.
"It's like this intense irritation comes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel panicked and immediately start crying and then fight-or-flight will take over.
"To others it appears as if I'm being oversensitive and melodramatic, but it's tough to describe unless you've experienced it."
Three Ways to Handle It
If you suffer then there are some different techniques you can use to handle the situation, based on advice from experts.
- Visualise an Alternative: Imagination is essential. Try to associate the specific noise causing distress with something completely different. So for example, try to picture someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. The goal is to teach your brain that the sound triggering you poses no threat.
- Make it a Game: Use lightheartedness and make the irritating noise into a challenge with the person. For instance, if someone is crunching loudly attempt mimicking the sound. By joining in, instead of feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an engaged person. And the challenge should help distract your brain and make you a little less affected.
- Develop a Narrative: Another technique is to try to invent a reason about why the person creating the sound is having to make that sound. Imagine if someone was sniffing, it could be that they're not feeling well or maybe they're upset. This approach is changing the meaning of the sound. While the noise stays the same, your understanding of it changes from being aggravating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate about it.
