The Holiday Season Transforms Into a Terrifying Experience for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
One young woman hopes for seeing her family over the holidays, but says one of the only ways she'll endure is by using her noise-cancelling devices - notably for the holiday meal.
In her case, the holidays often feels like a especially challenging period as the noises of family members munching, slurping and nose-blowing make her feel intense distress.
"I experience this feeling of instant dread, my whole body will just tense up and it feels like I'm in danger, and I need to manage these sounds."
Lottie has experienced sound sensitivity from a young age and for her that renders the holiday period "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to certain sounds, especially noises coming from those around you.
It is prevalent in the UK. Researchers discovered almost one in five people suffer from it.
Frequently it's noises associated with eating or drinking that cause distress, including examples such as chewing, breathing, and pen clicking.
Triggering Stress
The sufferer notes: "I face so many different triggering sounds at the holidays and that can be stressful and make you want to avoid it.
"My relatives are supportive, 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 guarantee the event goes smoothly."
So it's clear why the supposedly joyous period can transform into a source of agony for those with the condition.
Triggers that may be considered normal, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or eating the holiday meal can trigger a visceral feeling that can even cause them skipping events entirely.
The student, a 21-year-old student, who has struggled with misophonia from childhood, states the approach she intends to use is to put her earphones in to cope. On any other day, she would often retreat in a separate space to escape problematic noises.
She says her misophonia is worse around people she's most familiar with, so the holidays is always "hard".
"There is pressure to socialize with family, and I wish to, but it's draining.
"The sensation is this uncontrollable anger comes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel anxious and begin to weep and then fight-or-flight will take over.
"To others it appears as if I'm being difficult and melodramatic, but it's hard to explain if you haven't felt it."
A Few Techniques to Cope
For those affected then there are various strategies you can try to cope the situation, as suggested by specialists.
- Picture an Alternative: Mental imagery is crucial. Try to associate the triggering sound causing distress with an unrelated image. As an illustration, try to envision someone's slurping is just a sink draining water. This technique is to help your brain learn that the sound affecting you isn't harmful.
- Try a Competition: Use lightheartedness and make the irritating noise into a challenge with the culprit. For instance, if someone is crunching loudly try joining in. Through participation, rather than feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an willing part. And the challenge should help redirect your focus and make you a little less affected.
- Craft a Story: A further strategy is to try to create a little story about why the person making the noise is doing it. So if someone was making a nasal sound, maybe they are not feeling well or are troubled. The idea is altering the perception of the sound. Even though the sound stays the same, your reaction of it shifts from being aggravating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate about it.
