Christmas Transforms Into a Living Hell for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
One young woman is looking forward to seeing her relatives over the holidays, but admits one of the only ways she'll manage to get through it is by wearing her earplugs - notably for the main festive feast.
In her case, Christmas often feels like a notably tough period as the noises of family members munching, sipping loudly and breathing heavily trigger profound anxiety.
"I get this wave of sudden panic, my every muscle will just tense up and it feels like I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to somehow control these sounds."
Lottie has experienced sound sensitivity for several years and for her that renders the holiday period "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to specific noises, notably sounds produced by those around you.
It's surprisingly common in the UK. A study reported almost one in five people suffer from it.
Typically it's sounds linked to bodily functions that cause distress, including examples such as chewing, heavy breathing, and foot tapping.
A Source of Dread
The sufferer notes: "There are so many assorted problematic noises at Christmas and that can be stressful and make you want to avoid it.
"My family are supportive, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a really big battle of managing my symptoms to guarantee everyone else is happy."
So it's obvious why the supposedly joyous period can quickly turn into a living nightmare for affected individuals.
Noises that may be considered normal, like someone sipping a beverage, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or enjoying festive food can trigger a strong emotional response that can even lead to them withdrawing from gatherings.
Jenna, a young adult, who has dealt with misophonia from childhood, explains currently her plan is to listen to music to cope. Usually, she would usually isolate herself in a quiet area to escape problematic noises.
She notes her misophonia is more intense around people she's most familiar with, so Christmas is always "challenging".
"People assume you to socialize with family, and I desire to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"I feel as if this sudden rage washes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel stressed and begin to weep and then the stress response will take over.
"It can come across as if I'm being difficult and melodramatic, but it's difficult to convey if you haven't felt it."
A Few Techniques to Handle It
For those affected then there are a few methods you can use to handle the situation, according to experts.
- Visualise Something Else: Mental imagery is crucial. Attempt to link the specific noise bothering you with something completely different. As an illustration, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a sink draining water. By doing this is to teach your brain that the sound triggering you isn't harmful.
- Use Humor: Use lightheartedness and turn the annoying sound into a game with the culprit. For example, if someone is eating noisily try copying the noise. By mimicking, rather than feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an engaged person. And the game aspect should help shift your attention and make you a little less affected.
- Create a Scenario: A further strategy is to try to fabricate an explanation about the reason someone creating the sound is doing it. So if someone was making a nasal sound, it could be that they're not in good health or maybe they're upset. This approach is altering the perception of the sound. Even though the sound remains identical, your reaction of it moves from being annoying, to feeling a little more neutral about it.
