The Holiday Season Can Be a Living Hell for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
A 23-year-old anticipates being with her family this Christmas, but says a primary method she'll manage to get through it is by using her noise-cancelling devices - particularly at Christmas dinner.
In her case, the holidays can be a particularly difficult period as the sounds of other people chewing, sipping loudly and nose-blowing trigger extremely uncomfortable.
"I get this feeling of sudden panic, my every muscle will just freeze and it seems as if I'm in danger, and I need to manage these noises."
She has experienced sound sensitivity since she was 16 and for her that causes the holiday period "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to particular auditory triggers, especially noises coming from other people.
The condition is widespread across the population. Researchers discovered almost one in five people suffer from it.
Frequently it's noises associated with mouth, throat or facial movements that cause distress, as well as examples such as chewing, heavy breathing, and foot tapping.
A Source of Dread
Lottie says: "There are so many assorted problematic noises at Christmas and that can be anxiety inducing and make you dread it.
"My family are aware, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a internal conflict of managing my symptoms to guarantee others enjoy themselves."
So it's obvious why the traditionally happy period can rapidly become a source of agony for affected individuals.
Noises that may appear innocuous, like someone sipping a beverage, unwrapping gifts, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can cause a visceral feeling that can even cause them withdrawing from gatherings.
Jenna, a university student, who has experienced misophonia since aged 10, states currently her plan is to put her earphones in to cope. Usually, she would frequently go in a separate space to escape distressing triggers.
She explains her condition is more intense around people she's most familiar with, so the holidays is always "difficult".
"There is pressure to spend time with loved ones, and I want to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"I feel as if this intense irritation comes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel anxious and immediately start crying and then panic will take over.
"It may seem as if I'm being oversensitive and dramatic, but it's hard to explain unless you've experienced it."
Several Strategies to Manage
For those affected then there are a few methods you can attempt to manage the situation, according to clinical psychologists.
- Picture Something Else: Mental imagery is essential. Work on connecting the particular sound affecting you with something completely different. So for example, try to imagine someone's slurping is just a sink draining water. The goal is to retrain your mind that the sound affecting you isn't harmful.
- Use Humor: Introduce playfulness and turn the annoying sound into a challenge with the culprit. For example, if someone is crunching loudly have a go at mimicking the sound. Through participation, instead of feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an engaged person. And the game aspect should help redirect your focus and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Develop a Narrative: A further strategy is to try to create a little story about the reason someone creating the sound is behaving that way. Imagine if someone was sniffing, maybe they are not at their best or are troubled. The idea is re-framing the context of the sound. While the sound stays the same, your reaction of it changes from being aggravating, to feeling a bit more accepting towards it.