Christmas Transforms Into a Nightmare for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
Lottie anticipates seeing her family during the festive period, but admits a primary method she'll manage to get through it is by relying on her earplugs - notably for the main festive feast.
In her case, this time of year is a especially challenging season as the noises of family members munching, slurping and nose-blowing trigger profound anxiety.
"I get this sensation of instant dread, my every muscle will just tense up and it feels like I'm in peril, and I need to stop these sounds."
The individual has lived with misophonia from a young age and for her that causes the festive season "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to specific noises, especially noises coming from other people.
The condition is widespread in the UK. Experts found almost one in five people are affected by it.
Often it's sounds associated with bodily functions that lead to discomfort, including things like crunching, breathing, and foot tapping.
A Source of Dread
She explains: "There are so many different triggering sounds at the holidays and that can be daunting and make you want to avoid it.
"My family are understanding, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a constant struggle of enduring my distress to make sure everyone else is happy."
So it's easy to understand why the supposedly joyous time of the year can quickly turn into a stressful ordeal for affected individuals.
Sounds that may seem harmless, like someone drinking champagne, opening presents, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can trigger a visceral feeling that can even cause them withdrawing from gatherings.
Jenna, a university student, who has experienced misophonia for over a decade, explains the approach she intends to use is to listen to music to get through dinner. Typically, she would frequently go in a different room to avoid triggering sounds.
She says her misophonia is more pronounced around people she's most familiar with, so Christmas is always "hard".
"There's an expectation to socialize with family, and I wish to, but it's draining.
"The sensation is this intense irritation comes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel panicked and immediately start crying and then fight-or-flight will take over.
"To others it appears as if I'm being difficult and dramatic, but it's tough to describe without firsthand experience."
Three Ways to Cope
If it's an issue then there are some different techniques you can attempt to manage the situation, based on advice from experts.
- Visualise an Alternative: Imagination is crucial. Work on connecting the specific noise bothering you with something completely different. So for example, try to envision someone's noisy drinking is just a waterfall. The goal is to teach your brain that the sound triggering you isn't harmful.
- Try a Competition: Use lightheartedness and turn the annoying sound into a challenge with the culprit. As an example, if someone is crunching loudly try joining in. By mimicking, rather than feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an active participant. And the competition element 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 the reason someone creating the sound is behaving that way. For example if someone was making a nasal sound, perhaps they're not feeling well or are troubled. By doing this is changing the meaning of the sound. Even though the sound stays the same, your interpretation of it changes from being aggravating, to feeling a little more neutral towards it.
