Christmas Often Proves to Be a Living Hell for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
Lottie hopes for seeing her loved ones over the holidays, but says one of the only ways she'll cope is by relying on her noise-cancelling devices - especially during the holiday meal.
For her, Christmas is a especially challenging period as the auditory triggers of family members munching, drinking noisily and nose-blowing trigger extremely uncomfortable.
"There's this sensation of sudden panic, my every muscle will just tighten and it seems as if I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to stop these sounds."
Lottie has lived with misophonia since she was 16 and for her that causes the holiday period "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to certain sounds, particularly those coming from other people.
It is prevalent across the population. Experts discovered nearly 20% people are affected by it.
Typically it's noises linked to eating or drinking that lead to discomfort, along with examples such as chewing, breathing, and pen clicking.
A Source of Dread
Lottie says: "There are so many assorted problematic noises at Christmas and that can be daunting and make you fear it.
"Those close to me are aware, but I'm very aware 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 easy to understand why the most wonderful period can rapidly become a living nightmare for affected individuals.
Sounds that may be considered normal, like someone sipping a beverage, unwrapping gifts, or enjoying festive food can cause a visceral feeling that can even cause them skipping events entirely.
The student, a 21-year-old student, who has struggled with sound sensitivity since aged 10, states the approach she intends to use is to listen to music to manage the meal. Usually, she would usually isolate herself in a quiet area to avoid triggering sounds.
She explains her condition is more intense around people she's most familiar with, so Christmas is always "hard".
"There is pressure to be around family, and I want to, but it's draining.
"The sensation is this uncontrollable anger takes hold, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel anxious and begin to weep and then fight-or-flight 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."
A Few Techniques to Handle It
For those affected then there are various strategies you can use to handle the situation, according to experts.
- Picture an Alternative: Imagination is key. Work on connecting the particular sound bothering you with an unrelated image. So for example, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. By doing this is to teach your brain that the sound affecting you isn't harmful.
- Try a Competition: Use lightheartedness and make the irritating noise into a game with the culprit. As an example, if someone is crunching loudly attempt copying the noise. Through participation, rather than feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an active participant. And the competition element should help shift your attention and make you a little less affected.
- Craft a Story: A further strategy is to try to fabricate an explanation about the reason someone creating the sound is behaving that way. Imagine if someone was making a nasal sound, maybe they are not at their best or maybe they're upset. The idea is altering the perception of the sound. While the sound remains identical, your understanding of it shifts from being aggravating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate about it.
