The Holiday Season Often Proves to Be a Nightmare for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
Lottie hopes for seeing her loved ones this Christmas, but admits a key strategy she'll cope is by using her hearing protection - notably for the holiday meal.
For the 23-year-old, the holidays is a particularly difficult season as the auditory triggers of other people chewing, sipping loudly and sniffling cause her intense distress.
"I experience this feeling of instant dread, my every muscle will just tighten and it seems as if I'm in peril, and I need to stop these triggers."
She has experienced misophonia for several years and for her that makes the holiday period "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to particular auditory triggers, especially noises produced by individuals.
It is prevalent amongst adults. A study reported almost one in five people are affected by it.
Frequently it's sounds connected to bodily functions that trigger a reaction, as well as things like crunching, breathing, and foot tapping.
'Anxiety Inducing'
She explains: "You encounter so many various auditory triggers at the holidays and that can be stressful 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 enduring my distress to make sure the event goes smoothly."
So it's obvious why the traditionally happy season can quickly turn into a source of agony for sufferers.
Sounds that may be considered normal, like someone sipping a beverage, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or eating the holiday meal can provoke a strong emotional response that can even cause them withdrawing from gatherings.
Jenna, a 21-year-old student, who has dealt with sound sensitivity since aged 10, says the approach she intends to use is to use headphones to cope. Typically, she would usually isolate herself in a quiet area to minimize distressing triggers.
She notes her misophonia is more intense around people she's most familiar with, so the holidays is always "hard".
"There is pressure to spend time with loved ones, and I wish to, but it's draining.
"It's like this intense irritation takes hold, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel panicked and burst into tears and then panic will activate.
"To others it appears as if I'm being difficult and dramatic, but it's difficult to convey without firsthand experience."
A Few Techniques to Cope
If it's an issue then there are a few methods you can attempt to manage the situation, as suggested by experts.
- Imagine Something Else: Mental imagery is key. Attempt to link the triggering sound affecting you with an unrelated image. For instance, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. The goal is to retrain your mind that the sound affecting you is neutral.
- Try a Competition: Have a bit of fun and turn the annoying sound into a challenge with the culprit. For instance, if someone is crunching loudly have a go at joining in. Through participation, rather than feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an active participant. And the competition element should help shift your attention and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Develop a Narrative: Another technique is to try to fabricate an explanation about the reason someone creating the sound is behaving that way. So if someone was making a nasal sound, it could be that they're not in good health or are troubled. By doing this is altering the perception of the sound. While the noise remains identical, your understanding of it changes from being aggravating, to feeling a bit more accepting towards it.
