Yuletide Can Be a Nightmare for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
Lottie hopes for seeing her family during the festive period, but notes one of the only ways she'll cope is by using her earplugs - particularly at Christmas dinner.
In her case, this time of year can be a notably tough period as the auditory triggers of people eating, slurping and breathing heavily make her feel extremely uncomfortable.
"I get this sensation of sudden panic, my entire being will just tense up and it seems as if I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to manage these noises."
She has suffered from this condition since she was 16 and for her that renders the holiday period "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to certain sounds, particularly those produced by those around you.
The condition is widespread in the UK. Experts discovered almost one in five people are affected by it.
Typically it's noises linked to mouth, throat or facial movements that lead to discomfort, along with examples such as chewing, breathing, and pen clicking.
Triggering Stress
The sufferer notes: "You encounter so many different triggering sounds at Christmas and that can be anxiety inducing and make you want to avoid it.
"Those close to me are supportive, 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 the event goes smoothly."
So it's clear why the supposedly joyous period can rapidly become a source of agony for those with the condition.
Triggers that may appear innocuous, like someone drinking champagne, opening presents, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can trigger a strong emotional response that can even cause them avoiding social settings altogether.
She, a university student, who has dealt with sound sensitivity from childhood, says her strategy is to listen to music to cope. On any other day, she would often retreat in a separate space to escape triggering sounds.
She explains her condition is more intense around people she's closest to, so the holidays is always "hard".
"People assume you to socialize with family, and I wish to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"The sensation is this sudden rage takes hold, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel stressed and begin to weep and then panic will kick in.
"To others it appears as if I'm being unreasonable and melodramatic, but it's difficult to convey if you haven't felt it."
Three Ways to Cope
For those affected then there are a few methods you can try to cope the situation, according to clinical psychologists.
- Picture a Different Scenario: Creative thinking is essential. Try to associate the triggering sound bothering you with an unrelated image. So for example, try to picture someone's noisy drinking is just a sink draining water. By doing this is to teach your brain that the sound triggering you poses no threat.
- Make it a Game: Introduce playfulness and turn the annoying sound into a competition with the person. As an example, if someone is crunching loudly have a go at copying the noise. By joining in, rather than feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an active participant. And the game aspect should help distract your brain and make you slightly more tolerant.
- 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. So if someone was sniffing, perhaps they're not in good health or are troubled. By doing this is altering the perception of the sound. Even though the noise stays the same, your reaction of it changes from being annoying, to feeling a bit more accepting towards it.
