Christmas Can Be a Living Hell for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
One young woman is looking forward to being with her family over the holidays, but notes a key strategy she'll manage to get through it is by relying on her noise-cancelling devices - especially during the main festive feast.
In her case, this time of year can be a notably tough season as the sounds of other people chewing, drinking noisily and nose-blowing make her feel intense distress.
"There's this wave of sudden panic, my whole body will just freeze and it feels like I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to stop these sounds."
Lottie has experienced this condition since she was 16 and for her that causes the Christmas time "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to certain sounds, especially noises made by those around you.
It is prevalent across the population. Researchers discovered nearly 20% people suffer from it.
Frequently it's noises associated with bodily functions that trigger a reaction, along with things like crunching, breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
Triggering Stress
She explains: "I face so many assorted problematic noises at Christmas and that can be anxiety inducing and make you want to avoid it.
"My family are supportive, but I'm very aware that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a internal conflict of sacrificing my own sanity to guarantee everyone else is happy."
So it's easy to understand why the supposedly joyous season can rapidly become a source of agony for sufferers.
Sounds that may be considered normal, like someone drinking champagne, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or enjoying festive food can provoke a visceral feeling that can even cause them skipping events entirely.
She, a young adult, who has experienced misophonia for over a decade, states currently her plan is to listen to music to get through dinner. Typically, she would frequently go in a quiet area to minimize triggering sounds.
She says her condition is more pronounced around people she's most comfortable with, so Christmas is always "difficult".
"There's an expectation to spend time with loved ones, and I desire to, but it's draining.
"I feel as if this sudden rage comes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel anxious and immediately start crying and then the stress response will take over.
"To others it appears as if I'm being oversensitive and melodramatic, but it's tough to describe without firsthand experience."
A Few Techniques to Cope
For those affected then there are a few methods you can use to handle the situation, based on advice from specialists.
- Imagine a Different Scenario: Creative thinking is essential. Attempt to link the specific noise affecting you with an unrelated image. As an illustration, try to envision someone's slurping is just a gentle stream. This technique is to teach your brain that the sound triggering you is neutral.
- Use Humor: Use lightheartedness and make the irritating noise into a challenge involving the source. As an example, if someone is crunching loudly attempt mimicking the sound. By mimicking, rather than feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an engaged person. And the competition element should help distract your brain and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Develop a Narrative: One more method is to try to create a little story about the reason someone creating the sound is behaving that way. Imagine if someone was sniffing, perhaps they're not at their best or maybe they're upset. By doing this is changing the meaning of the sound. Even though the noise remains identical, your understanding of it shifts from being irritating, to feeling a bit more accepting towards it.
