Yuletide Can Be a Living Hell for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
Lottie anticipates seeing her loved ones over the holidays, but admits a key strategy she'll cope is by relying on her hearing protection - particularly at Christmas dinner.
In her case, Christmas can be a particularly difficult season as the noises of people eating, slurping and breathing heavily cause her extremely uncomfortable.
"There's this sensation of sudden panic, my whole body will just tighten and it feels like I'm in danger, and I need to somehow control these noises."
Lottie has experienced misophonia from a young age and for her that renders the holiday period "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to particular auditory triggers, notably sounds made by those around you.
It's surprisingly common across the population. A study discovered a significant portion of people suffer from it.
Typically it's noises associated with eating or drinking that trigger a reaction, as well as things like chewing, heavy breathing, and pen clicking.
'Anxiety Inducing'
She explains: "I face so many assorted problematic noises at Christmas and that can be anxiety inducing and make you fear it.
"Those close to me are understanding, but I'm very aware that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a really big battle of managing my symptoms to guarantee others enjoy themselves."
So it's easy to understand why the most wonderful time of the year can transform into a stressful ordeal for affected individuals.
Sounds that may appear innocuous, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, opening presents, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can cause a visceral feeling that can even cause them skipping events entirely.
Jenna, a 21-year-old student, who has experienced sound sensitivity for over a decade, explains currently her plan is to listen to music to get through dinner. On any other day, she would usually isolate herself in a different room to minimize distressing triggers.
She says her sensitivity is more intense around people she's most comfortable with, so Christmas is always "difficult".
"There's an expectation to socialize with loved ones, and I want to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"I feel as if this intense irritation washes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel stressed and immediately start crying and then panic will activate.
"It may seem as if I'm being unreasonable and melodramatic, but it's hard to explain if you haven't felt it."
A Few Techniques to Handle It
If you suffer then there are a few methods you can use to handle the situation, based on advice from experts.
- Imagine an Alternative: Imagination is essential. Try to associate the particular sound causing distress with an unrelated image. As an illustration, try to imagine someone's slurping is just a sink draining water. By doing this is to teach your brain that the sound triggering you poses no threat.
- Make it a Game: Introduce playfulness and turn the annoying sound into a game involving the source. As an example, if someone is crunching loudly have a go at joining in. By joining in, rather than feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an active participant. And the game aspect should help redirect your focus and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Develop a Narrative: One more method is to try to create a little story about why the person creating the sound is behaving that way. So if someone was sniffing, perhaps they're not feeling well or maybe they're upset. The idea is changing the meaning of the sound. Even though the sound remains identical, your understanding of it shifts from being annoying, to feeling a slightly more compassionate towards it.
