The Holiday Season Often Proves to Be a Nightmare for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
A 23-year-old is looking forward to spending time with her relatives over the holidays, but notes a key strategy she'll cope is by relying on her noise-cancelling devices - particularly at Christmas dinner.
For her, this time of year is a notably tough time as the noises of family members munching, drinking noisily and sniffling cause her extremely uncomfortable.
"I get this wave of instant dread, my every muscle will just freeze and it seems as if I'm in peril, and I need to somehow control these sounds."
She has suffered from this condition for several years and for her that renders the festive season "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to specific noises, notably sounds coming from those around you.
It is prevalent across the population. Experts reported almost one in five people are affected by it.
Typically it's noises linked to mouth, throat or facial movements that cause distress, along with examples such as crunching, breathing, and pen clicking.
A Source of Dread
Lottie says: "I face so many different triggering sounds at Christmas and that can be daunting and make you want to avoid it.
"My relatives are aware, but I'm very aware that I don't want to upset others. It's like a really big battle of enduring my distress to ensure the event goes smoothly."
So it's easy to understand why the traditionally happy time of the year can rapidly become a living nightmare for sufferers.
Noises that may appear innocuous, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, opening presents, or eating the holiday meal can trigger a visceral feeling that can even result in them skipping events entirely.
She, a young adult, who has struggled with sound sensitivity from childhood, explains currently her plan is to listen to music to cope. On any other day, she would often retreat in a different room to escape triggering sounds.
She says her condition is worse around people she's closest to, so the holidays is always "difficult".
"There's an expectation to be around family, and I desire to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"The sensation is this uncontrollable anger washes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel stressed and burst into tears and then panic will take over.
"To others it appears as if I'm being unreasonable and melodramatic, but it's difficult to convey unless you've experienced it."
A Few Techniques to Handle It
If it's an issue then there are some different techniques you can attempt to manage the situation, based on advice from experts.
- Picture a Different Scenario: Mental imagery is essential. Attempt to link the triggering sound affecting you with an unrelated image. For instance, try to imagine someone's slurping is just a waterfall. The goal is to help your brain learn that the sound affecting you is neutral.
- Make it a Game: Have a bit of fun and turn the annoying sound into a competition involving the source. For instance, if someone is crunching loudly attempt copying the noise. By joining in, rather than feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an engaged person. And the competition element should help distract your brain and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Create a Scenario: One more method is to try to fabricate an explanation about why the person creating the sound is having to make that sound. Imagine if someone was sniffing, perhaps they're not feeling well or could be emotional. By doing this is altering the perception of the sound. Although the noise remains identical, your understanding of it shifts from being annoying, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.
