Christmas Can Be a Terrifying Experience for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
A 23-year-old anticipates spending time with her relatives this Christmas, but admits one of the only ways she'll manage to get through it is by relying on her earplugs - particularly at the holiday meal.
In her case, this time of year can be a especially challenging season as the sounds of family members munching, sipping loudly and sniffling trigger intense distress.
"I experience this sensation of sudden panic, my every muscle will just freeze and it seems as if I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to stop these triggers."
Lottie has experienced this condition for several years and for her that makes the Christmas time "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to specific noises, especially noises coming from those around you.
The condition is widespread amongst adults. Experts found almost one in five people experience it.
Frequently it's sounds connected to eating or drinking that cause distress, as well as things like crunching, heavy breathing, and foot tapping.
'Anxiety Inducing'
Lottie says: "There are so many various auditory triggers at Christmas and that can be anxiety inducing and make you want to avoid it.
"My relatives are aware, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a really big battle of sacrificing my own sanity to guarantee the event goes smoothly."
So it's clear why the traditionally happy season can quickly turn into a stressful ordeal for affected individuals.
Triggers that may appear innocuous, like someone sipping a beverage, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or eating the holiday meal can trigger a strong emotional response that can even cause them withdrawing from gatherings.
She, a 21-year-old student, who has dealt with misophonia for over a decade, states the approach she intends to use is to listen to music to manage the meal. Usually, she would often retreat in a different room to minimize triggering sounds.
She says her condition is more intense around people she's most comfortable with, so Christmas is always "difficult".
"There's an expectation to socialize with family, and I desire to, but it's draining.
"I feel as if this uncontrollable anger takes hold, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel anxious and begin to weep and then panic will take over.
"It may seem as if I'm being difficult and melodramatic, but it's difficult to convey unless you've experienced it."
Three Ways to Cope
For those affected then there are a few methods you can try to cope the situation, based on advice from specialists.
- Visualise a Different Scenario: Creative thinking is key. Attempt to link the triggering sound causing distress with an unrelated image. 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.
- Try a Competition: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a competition with the culprit. As an example, if someone is eating noisily have a go at joining in. By mimicking, instead of feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an active participant. 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. So if someone was making a nasal sound, perhaps they're not at their best or are troubled. By doing this is re-framing the context of the sound. Even though the sound doesn't change, your reaction of it moves from being irritating, to feeling a little more neutral about it.
