Yuletide Transforms Into a Living Hell for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
A 23-year-old hopes for being with her relatives this Christmas, but admits a primary method she'll manage to get through it is by relying on her earplugs - particularly at the main festive feast.
For the 23-year-old, this time of year is a especially challenging season as the noises of other people chewing, drinking noisily and breathing heavily cause her intense distress.
"I experience this sensation of instant dread, my entire being will just freeze and it as though I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to manage these triggers."
Lottie has lived with this condition since she was 16 and for her that makes the Christmas time "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to particular auditory triggers, notably sounds coming from those around you.
The condition is widespread in the UK. Researchers reported nearly 20% people are affected by it.
Frequently it's sounds associated with bodily functions that cause distress, along with things like crunching, heavy breathing, and pen clicking.
Triggering Stress
The sufferer notes: "You encounter so many various auditory triggers at the holidays and that can be daunting and make you want to avoid it.
"My family are supportive, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to upset others. It's like a constant struggle of sacrificing my own sanity to guarantee everyone else is happy."
So it's clear why the traditionally happy time of the year can quickly turn into a living nightmare for affected individuals.
Noises that may seem harmless, like someone drinking champagne, unwrapping gifts, or eating the holiday meal can cause a strong emotional response that can even lead to them skipping events entirely.
She, a young adult, who has dealt with misophonia for over a decade, says currently her plan is to put her earphones in to manage the meal. Typically, she would usually isolate herself in a separate space to minimize problematic noises.
She notes her condition is worse around people she's most comfortable with, so Christmas is always "hard".
"There's an expectation to socialize with loved ones, and I want to, but it's draining.
"It's like this uncontrollable anger comes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel panicked and burst into tears and then fight-or-flight will activate.
"It may seem as if I'm being unreasonable and dramatic, but it's hard to explain without firsthand experience."
Several Strategies to Cope
For those affected then there are a few methods you can attempt to manage the situation, based on advice from specialists.
- Visualise Something Else: Mental imagery is key. Work on connecting the specific noise causing distress with an unrelated image. So for example, try to imagine someone's slurping is just a gentle stream. By doing this is to retrain your mind that the sound affecting you isn't harmful.
- Try a Competition: Introduce playfulness and turn the annoying sound into a challenge involving the source. For example, if someone is eating noisily try copying the noise. Through participation, rather than 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 slightly more tolerant.
- Craft a Story: Another technique is to try to fabricate an explanation about why the person creating the sound is having to make that sound. So if someone was making a nasal sound, perhaps they're not in good health or could be emotional. By doing this is re-framing the context of the sound. Although the sound stays the same, your understanding of it moves from being irritating, to feeling a little more neutral about it.
