The Holiday Season Transforms Into a Nightmare for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
Lottie is looking forward to spending time with her family during the festive period, but notes one of the only ways she'll cope is by relying on her hearing protection - notably for the main festive feast.
For her, Christmas often feels like a especially challenging period as the noises of people eating, drinking noisily and nose-blowing trigger profound anxiety.
"I experience this sensation of instant dread, my entire being will just tense up and it feels like I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to stop these triggers."
The individual has lived with this condition from a young age and for her that makes the festive season "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to particular auditory triggers, especially noises made by other people.
It's surprisingly common across the population. Researchers reported a significant portion of people experience it.
Often it's noises connected to mouth, throat or facial movements that trigger a reaction, as well as things like chewing, breathing, and foot tapping.
A Source of Dread
She explains: "I face so many assorted problematic noises at Christmas and that can be anxiety inducing and make you dread it.
"Those close to me are aware, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a really big battle of sacrificing my own sanity to ensure others enjoy themselves."
So it's clear why the traditionally happy time of the year can rapidly become a stressful ordeal for those with the condition.
Triggers that may be considered normal, like someone sipping a beverage, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or enjoying festive food can provoke a visceral feeling that can even cause them withdrawing from gatherings.
Jenna, a young adult, who has dealt with misophonia from childhood, says the approach she intends to use is to use headphones to cope. Usually, she would usually isolate herself in a separate space to minimize distressing triggers.
She explains her misophonia is worse 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 physically and mentally challenging.
"The sensation is this intense irritation takes hold, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel panicked and immediately start crying and then fight-or-flight will activate.
"It may seem as if I'm being unreasonable and overreacting, but it's difficult to convey unless you've experienced it."
Several Strategies to Manage
If you suffer then there are various strategies you can use to handle the situation, as suggested by specialists.
- Picture Something Else: Mental imagery is essential. Try to associate the triggering sound bothering you with an unrelated image. As an illustration, try to picture someone's noisy drinking is just a waterfall. This technique is to retrain your mind that the sound triggering you isn't harmful.
- Try a Competition: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a competition with the culprit. For instance, if someone is crunching loudly try copying the noise. Through participation, rather than feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an engaged person. And the game aspect should help redirect your focus and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Develop a Narrative: A further strategy is to try to create a little story about why the person creating the sound is behaving that way. Imagine if someone was making a nasal sound, perhaps they're not at their best or could be emotional. This approach is altering the perception of the sound. Even though the sound stays the same, your interpretation of it changes from being annoying, to feeling a bit more accepting towards it.
