The Holiday Season Can Be a Living Hell for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
A 23-year-old hopes for being with her loved ones this Christmas, but notes one of the only ways she'll endure is by wearing her noise-cancelling devices - notably for the holiday meal.
In her case, this time of year is a especially challenging season as the auditory triggers of family members munching, slurping and breathing heavily make her feel extremely uncomfortable.
"I experience this feeling of immediate anxiety, my whole body will just tense up and it as though I'm in peril, and I need to stop these noises."
She has lived with sound sensitivity for several years and for her that renders the Christmas time "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to specific noises, notably sounds made by those around you.
It is prevalent amongst adults. A study discovered nearly 20% people experience it.
Often it's noises associated with bodily functions that lead to discomfort, including things like crunching, heavy breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
Triggering Stress
Lottie says: "There are so many assorted problematic noises at Christmas and that can be anxiety inducing and make you dread it.
"Those close to me are understanding, but I'm very aware that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a really big battle of enduring my distress to guarantee the event goes smoothly."
So it's clear why the supposedly joyous season can transform into a living nightmare for those with the condition.
Sounds that may seem harmless, like someone sipping a beverage, opening presents, or eating the holiday meal can provoke a strong emotional response that can even lead to them avoiding social settings altogether.
She, a university student, who has struggled with misophonia from childhood, says the approach she intends to use is to use headphones to cope. Typically, she would frequently go in a quiet area to escape triggering sounds.
She notes her sensitivity is worse around people she's closest to, so Christmas is always "challenging".
"People assume you to be around family, and I desire to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"It's like this uncontrollable anger takes hold, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel panicked and immediately start crying and then fight-or-flight will activate.
"It can come across as if I'm being unreasonable and melodramatic, but it's hard to explain if you haven't felt it."
Three Ways to Cope
For those affected then there are some different techniques you can try to cope the situation, according to clinical psychologists.
- Picture a Different Scenario: Mental imagery is key. Work on connecting the triggering sound causing distress with a neutral concept. For instance, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a waterfall. By doing this is to help your brain learn that the sound affecting you is neutral.
- Make it a Game: Have a bit of fun and make the irritating noise into a competition involving the source. 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 engaged person. And the game aspect should help shift your attention and make you a little less affected.
- Create a Scenario: One more method is to try to create a little story about the reason someone creating the sound is doing it. So if someone was sniffing, maybe they are not feeling well or maybe they're upset. This approach is changing the meaning of the sound. Although the sound doesn't change, your reaction of it changes from being aggravating, to feeling a little more neutral about it.