Yuletide Can Be a Living Hell for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
A 23-year-old hopes for seeing her loved ones over the holidays, but notes a primary method she'll manage to get through it is by relying on her noise-cancelling devices - particularly at the holiday meal.
In her case, this time of year is a especially challenging time as the auditory triggers of other people chewing, slurping and nose-blowing trigger extremely uncomfortable.
"I get this wave of sudden panic, my whole body will just tighten and it as though I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to manage these sounds."
Lottie has suffered from misophonia for several years and for her that makes the festive season "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to certain sounds, especially noises made by those around you.
It is prevalent amongst adults. Experts found a significant portion of people experience it.
Frequently it's noises associated with mouth, throat or facial movements that lead to discomfort, including examples such as chewing, heavy breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
Triggering Stress
Lottie says: "I face so many different triggering sounds at Christmas and that can be daunting and make you want to avoid it.
"My family are aware, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to upset others. It's like a internal conflict of enduring my distress to guarantee others enjoy themselves."
So it's easy to understand why the supposedly joyous season can quickly turn into a source of agony for sufferers.
Triggers that may seem harmless, like someone sipping a beverage, opening presents, or eating the holiday meal can provoke a visceral feeling that can even lead to them avoiding social settings altogether.
Jenna, a young adult, who has experienced misophonia from childhood, explains currently her plan is to put her earphones in to cope. Typically, she would usually isolate herself in a separate space to avoid triggering sounds.
She notes her misophonia is more pronounced around people she's most familiar with, so the holidays is always "hard".
"There's an expectation to spend time with loved ones, and I desire to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"It's like this uncontrollable anger washes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel stressed and begin to weep and then panic will take over.
"It can come across as if I'm being difficult and overreacting, but it's tough to describe unless you've experienced it."
Three Ways to Manage
If you suffer then there are some different techniques you can attempt to manage the situation, as suggested by experts.
- Visualise a Different Scenario: Mental imagery is key. Attempt to link the triggering sound causing distress with an unrelated image. As an illustration, try to imagine someone's slurping is just a waterfall. The goal is to retrain your mind that the sound affecting you isn't harmful.
- Try a Competition: Have a bit of fun and make the irritating noise into a game with the culprit. As an example, if someone is eating noisily try mimicking the sound. By joining in, instead of feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an willing part. And the game aspect should help shift your attention and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Develop a Narrative: A further strategy is to try to fabricate an explanation about the reason someone making the noise is doing it. For example if someone was making a nasal sound, it could be that they're not at their best or could be emotional. This approach is re-framing the context of the sound. While the sound remains identical, your reaction of it shifts from being annoying, to feeling a bit more accepting towards it.
