The Holiday Season Often Proves to Be a Nightmare for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
A 23-year-old anticipates being with her family over the holidays, but notes a primary method she'll cope is by using her hearing protection - particularly at the holiday meal.
For her, the holidays can be a notably tough period as the sounds of people eating, slurping and sniffling make her feel extremely uncomfortable.
"There's this sensation of instant dread, my entire being will just tense up and it seems as if I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to manage these sounds."
Lottie has suffered from misophonia for several years and for her that renders the festive season "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to certain sounds, notably sounds coming from individuals.
It is prevalent amongst adults. Researchers discovered a significant portion of people experience it.
Typically it's sounds associated with mouth, throat or facial movements that lead to discomfort, along with things like chewing, heavy breathing, and foot tapping.
A Source of Dread
Lottie says: "I face so many assorted problematic noises at the holidays and that can be daunting and make you want to avoid it.
"My family are aware, but I'm very aware that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a constant struggle of sacrificing my own sanity to guarantee everyone else is happy."
So it's clear why the most wonderful season can rapidly become a stressful ordeal for sufferers.
Triggers that may appear innocuous, like someone sipping a beverage, opening presents, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can trigger a strong emotional response that can even cause them skipping events entirely.
The student, a 21-year-old student, who has experienced sound sensitivity for over a decade, states her strategy is to use headphones to manage the meal. Typically, she would usually isolate herself in a separate space to minimize distressing triggers.
She notes her misophonia is worse around people she's most comfortable with, so the holidays is always "difficult".
"There's an expectation to socialize with family, and I desire to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"The sensation is this intense irritation takes hold, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel panicked and burst into tears and then the stress response will kick in.
"It may seem as if I'm being unreasonable and dramatic, but it's hard to explain without firsthand experience."
Three Ways to Manage
If you suffer then there are some different techniques you can use to handle the situation, according to clinical psychologists.
- Picture a Different Scenario: Mental imagery is crucial. Work on connecting the triggering sound affecting you with a neutral concept. For instance, try to envision someone's noisy drinking is just a sink draining water. By doing this is to help your brain learn that the sound triggering you is neutral.
- Try a Competition: Use lightheartedness and make the irritating noise into a competition involving the source. For instance, if someone is eating noisily attempt mimicking the sound. By joining in, instead of feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an active participant. And the game aspect should help redirect your focus and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Craft a Story: Another technique is to try to create a little story about the reason someone creating the sound is doing it. For example if someone was sniffing, it could be that they're not in good health or could be emotional. The idea is altering the perception of the sound. Although the noise doesn't change, your interpretation of it changes from being aggravating, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.
