Christmas Often Proves to Be a Nightmare for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
Lottie is looking forward to seeing her loved ones over the holidays, but says a key strategy she'll cope is by using her earplugs - notably for Christmas dinner.
For the 23-year-old, Christmas can be a especially challenging time as the noises of family members munching, drinking noisily and sniffling make her feel profound anxiety.
"I experience this feeling of sudden panic, my entire being will just tense up and it feels like I'm in peril, and I need to somehow control these sounds."
She has suffered from this condition from a young age and for her that causes the holiday period "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to specific noises, particularly those made by individuals.
It is prevalent in the UK. A study discovered almost one in five people are affected by it.
Frequently it's noises linked to mouth, throat or facial movements that lead to discomfort, along with examples such as crunching, heavy breathing, and pen clicking.
A Source of Dread
She explains: "I face so many different triggering sounds at the holidays and that can be daunting and make you want to avoid it.
"Those close to me are aware, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to upset others. It's like a constant struggle of managing my symptoms to guarantee everyone else is happy."
So it's clear why the traditionally happy time of the year can transform into a stressful ordeal for affected individuals.
Noises that may seem harmless, like someone drinking champagne, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or enjoying festive food can provoke a strong emotional response that can even result in them withdrawing from gatherings.
She, a young adult, who has dealt with sound sensitivity since aged 10, explains her strategy is to put her earphones in to manage the meal. Usually, she would often retreat in a separate space to escape distressing triggers.
She explains her misophonia is more pronounced around people she's closest to, so the holidays is always "hard".
"There is pressure to spend time with family, and I wish to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"I feel as if this sudden rage washes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel panicked and immediately start crying and then the stress response will take over.
"It can come across as if I'm being oversensitive and melodramatic, but it's tough to describe if you haven't felt it."
A Few Techniques to Manage
If you suffer then there are various strategies you can attempt to manage the situation, according to experts.
- Imagine a Different Scenario: Mental imagery is essential. Work on connecting the specific noise bothering you with an unrelated image. For instance, try to picture someone's noisy drinking is just a sink draining water. By doing this is to help your brain learn that the sound triggering you isn't harmful.
- Use Humor: Use lightheartedness and make the irritating noise into a challenge with the culprit. As an example, if someone is crunching loudly have a go at copying the noise. Through participation, instead of feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an willing part. And the challenge should help distract your brain and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Create a Scenario: A further strategy is to try to fabricate an explanation about the reason someone making the noise is behaving that way. For example if someone was making a nasal sound, it could be that they're not at their best or maybe they're upset. This approach is re-framing the context of the sound. Even though the sound remains identical, your reaction of it shifts from being irritating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate about it.