Yuletide Often Proves to Be a Terrifying Experience for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
A 23-year-old hopes for being with her loved ones during the festive period, but says a key strategy she'll endure is by relying on her noise-cancelling devices - especially during the main festive feast.
For her, the holidays is a particularly difficult period as the sounds of family members munching, drinking noisily and breathing heavily make her feel intense distress.
"I get this feeling of immediate anxiety, my entire being will just tense up and it as though I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to manage these triggers."
Lottie has experienced misophonia for several years and for her that renders the festive season "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to particular auditory triggers, notably sounds made by other people.
The condition is widespread amongst adults. A study discovered nearly 20% people experience it.
Often it's noises linked to eating or drinking that lead to discomfort, including things like chewing, heavy breathing, and foot tapping.
Triggering Stress
The sufferer notes: "I face so many assorted problematic noises at the holidays and that can be daunting and make you dread it.
"Those close to me are understanding, but I'm very aware that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a really big battle of managing my symptoms to make sure the event goes smoothly."
So it's clear why the supposedly joyous time of the year can quickly turn into a stressful ordeal for sufferers.
Sounds that may appear innocuous, 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 withdrawing from gatherings.
She, a young adult, who has experienced sound sensitivity from childhood, says her strategy is to use headphones to manage the meal. On any other day, she would often retreat in a different room to avoid distressing triggers.
She says her sensitivity is worse around people she's most familiar with, so Christmas is always "challenging".
"People assume you to socialize with family, and I desire to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"The sensation is this intense irritation washes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel stressed and burst into tears and then the stress response will take over.
"To others it appears as if I'm being unreasonable and dramatic, but it's difficult to convey without firsthand experience."
A Few Techniques to Cope
If you suffer then there are various strategies you can try to cope the situation, as suggested by specialists.
- Imagine an Alternative: Imagination is key. Attempt to link the particular sound causing distress with a neutral concept. As an illustration, try to picture someone's noisy drinking is just a sink draining water. This technique is to help your brain learn that the sound affecting you poses no threat.
- Make it a Game: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a challenge involving the source. For instance, if someone is eating noisily try 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 somewhat less sensitive.
- Develop a Narrative: Another technique is to try to fabricate an explanation about the reason someone making the noise is having to make that sound. Imagine if someone was making a nasal sound, perhaps they're not at their best or could be emotional. The idea is changing the meaning of the sound. While the sound doesn't change, your reaction of it moves from being aggravating, to feeling a little more neutral about it.
