The Holiday Season Often Proves to Be a Terrifying Experience for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
A 23-year-old is looking forward to spending time with her relatives during the festive period, but admits one of the only ways she'll endure is by relying on her earplugs - particularly at Christmas dinner.
For her, the holidays can be a especially challenging season as the auditory triggers of other people chewing, slurping and breathing heavily trigger extremely uncomfortable.
"There's this wave of immediate anxiety, my every muscle will just tighten and it feels like I'm in danger, and I need to manage these noises."
The individual has lived with misophonia from a young age and for her that causes the holiday period "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to particular auditory triggers, notably sounds coming from those around you.
The condition is widespread amongst adults. Experts reported almost one in five people suffer from it.
Typically it's sounds associated with bodily functions that trigger a reaction, along with things like crunching, breathing, and foot tapping.
'Anxiety Inducing'
Lottie says: "There are so many assorted problematic noises at the holidays and that can be anxiety inducing and make you fear it.
"My family are aware, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to upset others. It's like a really big battle of sacrificing my own sanity to make sure others enjoy themselves."
So it's obvious why the traditionally happy season can rapidly become a living nightmare for sufferers.
Noises that may seem harmless, like someone drinking champagne, unwrapping gifts, or eating the holiday meal can provoke a powerful reaction that can even result in them skipping events entirely.
Jenna, a university student, who has struggled with sound sensitivity from childhood, states currently her plan is to put her earphones in to get through dinner. Usually, she would usually isolate herself in a separate space to minimize triggering sounds.
She explains her condition is more pronounced around people she's closest to, so the holidays is always "hard".
"There is pressure to be around loved ones, and I desire to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"I feel as if this intense irritation takes hold, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel panicked and begin to weep and then the stress response will take over.
"It may seem as if I'm being oversensitive and overreacting, but it's tough to describe unless you've experienced it."
Three Ways to Handle It
For those affected then there are various strategies you can try to cope the situation, based on advice from clinical psychologists.
- Imagine an Alternative: Imagination is key. Try to associate the triggering sound affecting you with something completely different. As an illustration, try to envision someone's slurping is just a sink draining water. By doing this is to retrain your mind that the sound triggering you isn't harmful.
- Try a Competition: Introduce playfulness and turn the annoying sound into a challenge with the culprit. As an example, if someone is eating noisily try copying the noise. By joining in, instead of feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an willing part. And the competition element should help redirect your focus and make you a little less affected.
- Craft a Story: A further strategy is to try to invent a reason about the reason someone creating the sound is doing it. For example if someone was sniffing, it could be that they're not at their best or maybe they're upset. This approach is altering the perception of the sound. Even though the sound stays the same, your understanding of it moves from being aggravating, to feeling a little more neutral about it.
