Yuletide Often Proves to Be a Nightmare for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
Lottie anticipates spending time with her relatives this Christmas, but notes one of the only ways she'll manage to get through it is by using her hearing protection - especially during the main festive feast.
For the 23-year-old, Christmas often feels like a notably tough season as the noises of other people chewing, drinking noisily and sniffling cause her profound anxiety.
"I experience this wave of instant dread, my whole body will just freeze and it feels like 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 holiday period "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to particular auditory triggers, especially noises made by individuals.
It's surprisingly common in the UK. Researchers reported nearly 20% people experience it.
Often it's sounds associated with mouth, throat or facial movements that lead to discomfort, as well as things like crunching, heavy breathing, and foot tapping.
Triggering Stress
The sufferer notes: "There are so many assorted problematic noises at Christmas and that can be anxiety inducing and make you dread it.
"My family are understanding, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a constant struggle of managing my symptoms to guarantee everyone else is happy."
So it's obvious why the traditionally happy period can rapidly become a stressful ordeal for affected individuals.
Triggers that may seem harmless, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, opening presents, or enjoying festive food can trigger a visceral feeling that can even cause them skipping events entirely.
The student, a university student, who has struggled with misophonia since aged 10, states currently her plan is to use headphones to get through dinner. Typically, she would often retreat in a quiet area to avoid triggering sounds.
She explains her condition is more pronounced around people she's most comfortable with, so Christmas is always "difficult".
"People assume you to socialize with loved ones, and I wish to, but it's draining.
"It's like this sudden rage takes hold, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel anxious and immediately start crying and then the stress response will activate.
"It can come across as if I'm being difficult and dramatic, but it's tough to describe if you haven't felt it."
Several Strategies to Manage
For those affected then there are a few methods you can try to cope the situation, based on advice from clinical psychologists.
- Visualise Something Else: Creative thinking is essential. Attempt to link the specific noise causing distress with an unrelated image. As an illustration, try to envision someone's slurping is just a waterfall. This technique is to retrain your mind that the sound affecting you isn't harmful.
- Try a Competition: Use lightheartedness and turn the annoying sound into a competition involving the source. For instance, if someone is eating noisily try copying the noise. By mimicking, instead of feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an active participant. And the competition element should help redirect your focus and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Craft a Story: One more method is to try to invent a reason about why the person creating the sound is having to make that sound. So if someone was making a nasal sound, it could be that they're not feeling well or could be emotional. This approach is re-framing the context of the sound. Even though the noise doesn't change, your understanding of it moves from being aggravating, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.
