Yuletide Can Be a Terrifying Experience for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
Lottie hopes for spending time with her family during the festive period, but admits one of the only ways she'll cope is by relying on her hearing protection - particularly at the holiday meal.
For her, Christmas often feels like a particularly difficult time as the sounds of other people chewing, drinking noisily and breathing heavily trigger extremely uncomfortable.
"There's this wave of sudden panic, my every muscle will just tighten and it as though I'm in peril, and I need to stop these triggers."
She has experienced misophonia since she was 16 and for her that causes the holiday period "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to certain sounds, particularly those made by those around you.
The condition is widespread amongst adults. Researchers discovered a significant portion of people suffer from it.
Frequently it's noises connected to eating or drinking that trigger a reaction, including things like chewing, heavy breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
'Anxiety Inducing'
Lottie says: "There are so many assorted problematic noises at Christmas and that can be stressful and make you fear it.
"My family are aware, but I'm very conscious 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 season can rapidly become a living nightmare for those with the condition.
Noises that may seem harmless, like someone drinking champagne, unwrapping gifts, or enjoying festive food can cause a visceral feeling that can even lead to them withdrawing from gatherings.
She, a 21-year-old student, who has dealt with misophonia since aged 10, states currently her plan is to put her earphones in to get through dinner. On any other day, she would frequently go in a quiet area to avoid distressing triggers.
She notes her misophonia is more pronounced around people she's closest to, so Christmas is always "difficult".
"People assume you to socialize with family, and I wish to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"It's like this uncontrollable anger comes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel panicked and immediately start crying and then panic will activate.
"To others it appears as if I'm being oversensitive and overreacting, but it's hard to explain if you haven't felt it."
Three Ways to Cope
For those affected then there are some different techniques you can try to cope the situation, according to clinical psychologists.
- Visualise an Alternative: Mental imagery is crucial. Work on connecting the triggering sound bothering you with an unrelated image. As an illustration, try to envision someone's slurping is just a sink draining water. By doing this is to help your brain learn that the sound triggering you poses no threat.
- Make it a Game: Use lightheartedness and turn the annoying sound into a game involving the source. As an example, if someone is crunching loudly have a go at mimicking the sound. Through participation, instead of feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an engaged person. And the competition element should help shift your attention and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Develop a Narrative: A further strategy is to try to create a little story about why the person making the noise is behaving that way. Imagine if someone was sniffing, perhaps they're not at their best or are troubled. By doing this is re-framing the context of the sound. Although the noise stays the same, your understanding of it shifts from being aggravating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate about it.
