Yuletide Transforms Into a Terrifying Experience for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
One young woman anticipates spending time with her relatives this Christmas, but says one of the only ways she'll cope is by wearing her hearing protection - notably for Christmas dinner.
For her, this time of year is a particularly difficult period as the sounds of family members munching, slurping and sniffling trigger profound anxiety.
"I get this wave of sudden panic, my whole body will just tense up and it as though I'm in danger, and I need to somehow control these sounds."
Lottie has suffered from misophonia for several years and for her that causes the holiday period "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to certain sounds, notably sounds coming from those around you.
It is prevalent in the UK. A study found nearly 20% people experience it.
Typically it's sounds associated with bodily functions that lead to discomfort, including things like crunching, heavy breathing, and pen clicking.
Triggering Stress
Lottie says: "I face so many different triggering sounds at Christmas and that can be daunting and make you fear it.
"Those close to me are understanding, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a internal conflict of sacrificing my own sanity to make sure the event goes smoothly."
So it's easy to understand why the most wonderful season can quickly turn into a stressful ordeal for affected individuals.
Sounds that may be considered normal, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, unwrapping gifts, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can provoke a strong emotional response that can even lead to them avoiding social settings altogether.
She, a young adult, who has struggled with misophonia for over a decade, states her strategy is to put her earphones in to get through dinner. Typically, she would often retreat in a separate space to minimize problematic noises.
She notes her misophonia is more pronounced around people she's most familiar with, so Christmas is always "hard".
"There's an expectation to spend time with family, and I want to, but it's draining.
"It's like this uncontrollable anger washes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel panicked and immediately start crying and then panic will activate.
"It may seem as if I'm being unreasonable and dramatic, but it's hard to explain without firsthand experience."
Several Strategies to Manage
If you suffer then there are various strategies you can attempt to manage the situation, based on advice from clinical psychologists.
- Visualise a Different Scenario: Creative thinking is essential. Attempt to link the particular sound bothering you with something completely different. For instance, try to imagine someone's slurping is just a gentle stream. The goal is to help your brain learn that the sound affecting you isn't harmful.
- Make it a Game: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a competition with the culprit. As an example, if someone is crunching loudly try joining in. By mimicking, rather than feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an engaged person. And the competition element should help shift your attention and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Create a Scenario: Another technique is to try to invent a reason about the reason someone creating the sound is having to make that sound. For example if someone was sniffing, it could be that they're not in good health or could be emotional. The idea is altering the perception of the sound. Although the noise doesn't change, your understanding of it changes from being aggravating, to feeling a little more neutral towards it.
