Christmas Often Proves to Be a Nightmare for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
Lottie anticipates being with her loved ones this Christmas, but admits one of the only ways she'll cope is by using her earplugs - notably for the holiday meal.
For her, Christmas can be a especially challenging time as the noises of other people chewing, drinking noisily and nose-blowing cause her intense distress.
"There's this sensation of instant dread, my entire being will just freeze and it seems as if I'm in danger, and I need to manage these sounds."
Lottie has suffered from sound sensitivity since she was 16 and for her that makes the holiday period "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to certain sounds, particularly those produced by those around you.
The condition is widespread across the population. Experts found nearly 20% people are affected by it.
Often it's sounds linked to bodily functions that lead to discomfort, including things like crunching, heavy breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
Triggering Stress
The sufferer notes: "There are so many various auditory triggers at the holidays and that can be stressful and make you want to avoid it.
"My family are understanding, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a constant struggle of enduring my distress to guarantee everyone else is happy."
So it's easy to understand why the supposedly joyous time of the year can quickly turn into a stressful ordeal for affected individuals.
Sounds that may seem harmless, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, unwrapping gifts, or enjoying festive food can trigger a strong emotional response that can even lead to them withdrawing from gatherings.
The student, a 21-year-old student, who has dealt with sound sensitivity from childhood, says currently her plan is to use headphones to manage the meal. On any other day, she would frequently go in a different room to minimize triggering sounds.
She says her misophonia is worse around people she's closest to, so the holidays is always "hard".
"There is pressure to be around family, and I wish to, but it's draining.
"The sensation is this uncontrollable anger comes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel panicked and burst into tears and then panic will activate.
"It can come across as if I'm being difficult and overreacting, but it's tough to describe if you haven't felt it."
A Few Techniques to Cope
If it's an issue then there are some different techniques you can attempt to manage the situation, as suggested by experts.
- Picture a Different Scenario: Mental imagery is crucial. Work on connecting the specific noise affecting you with a neutral concept. So for example, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. By doing this is to teach your brain that the sound triggering you poses no threat.
- Use Humor: Use lightheartedness and turn the annoying sound into a game with the culprit. As an example, if someone is eating noisily have a go at mimicking the sound. By mimicking, instead of feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an engaged person. And the competition element should help distract your brain and make you a little less affected.
- Craft a Story: One more method is to try to invent a reason about the reason someone making the noise is doing it. Imagine if someone was making a nasal sound, perhaps they're not in good health or are troubled. The idea is altering the perception of the sound. Although the sound doesn't change, your interpretation of it shifts from being aggravating, to feeling a little more neutral towards it.
