Christmas Can Be a Living Hell for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
One young woman anticipates seeing her loved ones during the festive period, but notes one of the only ways she'll cope is by wearing her hearing protection - particularly at the main festive feast.
In her case, Christmas can be a especially challenging period as the noises of family members munching, drinking noisily and sniffling cause her extremely uncomfortable.
"There's this sensation of sudden panic, my whole body will just freeze and it feels like I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to somehow control these triggers."
Lottie has suffered from sound sensitivity from a young age and for her that renders the festive season "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to specific noises, especially noises made by individuals.
It is prevalent amongst adults. Experts reported a significant portion of people experience it.
Often it's noises associated with mouth, throat or facial movements that cause distress, as well as things like crunching, heavy breathing, and pen clicking.
Triggering Stress
The sufferer notes: "You encounter so many different triggering sounds at the holidays and that can be daunting and make you fear it.
"Those close to me are aware, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to upset others. It's like a really big battle of sacrificing my own sanity to guarantee others enjoy themselves."
So it's clear why the traditionally happy time of the year can quickly turn into a source of agony for those with the condition.
Triggers that may appear innocuous, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can provoke a powerful reaction that can even result in them withdrawing from gatherings.
The student, a university student, who has experienced sound sensitivity for over a decade, says the approach she intends to use is to use headphones to manage the meal. Usually, she would frequently go in a separate space to escape triggering sounds.
She explains her sensitivity is worse around people she's most familiar with, so Christmas is always "challenging".
"People assume you to spend time with family, and I desire to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"It's like this uncontrollable anger takes hold, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel panicked and begin to weep and then fight-or-flight will activate.
"It can come across as if I'm being unreasonable and overreacting, but it's tough to describe if you haven't felt it."
Three Ways to Handle It
If it's an issue then there are a few methods you can use to handle the situation, as suggested by experts.
- Visualise a Different Scenario: Mental imagery is essential. Attempt to link the triggering sound bothering you with a neutral concept. So for example, try to picture someone's slurping is just a waterfall. By doing this is to teach your brain that the sound triggering you poses no threat.
- Make it a Game: Use lightheartedness and make the irritating noise into a challenge with the culprit. For example, if someone is eating noisily attempt copying the noise. By joining in, rather than feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an active participant. 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 invent a reason about the reason someone making the noise is behaving that way. So if someone was making a nasal sound, perhaps they're not feeling well or could be emotional. The idea is changing the meaning of the sound. While the sound doesn't change, your reaction of it changes from being aggravating, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.