Yuletide Often Proves to Be a Living Hell for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
One young woman hopes for seeing her family during the festive period, but says one of the only ways she'll manage to get through it is by relying on her hearing protection - especially during the holiday meal.
For her, Christmas often feels like a particularly difficult time as the sounds of family members munching, sipping loudly and nose-blowing cause her intense distress.
"There's this sensation of instant dread, my every muscle will just tense up and it seems as if I'm in peril, and I need to stop these noises."
Lottie has experienced misophonia for several years and for her that makes the Christmas time "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to certain sounds, particularly those produced by individuals.
It is prevalent across the population. Experts reported nearly 20% people experience it.
Typically it's sounds connected to eating or drinking that lead to discomfort, including things like crunching, breathing, and pen clicking.
Triggering Stress
Lottie says: "There are so many assorted problematic noises at the holidays and that can be stressful and make you fear it.
"My family are understanding, but I'm very aware that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a constant struggle of managing my symptoms to guarantee everyone else is happy."
So it's obvious why the traditionally happy season can transform into a living nightmare for sufferers.
Noises that may seem harmless, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, opening presents, or eating the holiday meal can provoke a visceral feeling that can even result in them withdrawing from gatherings.
Jenna, a young adult, who has struggled with misophonia since aged 10, explains the approach she intends to use is to put her earphones in to manage the meal. On any other day, she would usually isolate herself in a separate space to avoid problematic noises.
She notes her sensitivity is more pronounced around people she's closest to, so the holidays is always "hard".
"There's an expectation to be around loved ones, and I want to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"I feel as if this uncontrollable anger takes hold, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel stressed and burst into tears and then panic will kick in.
"It may seem as if I'm being oversensitive and dramatic, but it's difficult to convey unless you've experienced it."
A Few Techniques to Handle It
If it's an issue then there are some different techniques you can use to handle the situation, as suggested by experts.
- Visualise Something Else: Imagination is essential. Work on connecting the triggering sound bothering you with something completely different. As an illustration, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a sink draining water. 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 game with the person. As an example, if someone is crunching loudly try mimicking the sound. By mimicking, instead of feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an active participant. And the competition element should help shift your attention and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Develop a Narrative: One more method is to try to fabricate an explanation about why the person creating the sound is doing it. Imagine if someone was making a nasal sound, it could be that they're not in good health or are troubled. This approach is changing the meaning of the sound. Even though the sound doesn't change, your understanding of it moves from being annoying, to feeling a little more neutral towards it.
