Yuletide Transforms Into a Nightmare for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
Lottie anticipates spending time with her family over the holidays, but admits one of the only ways she'll manage to get through it is by relying on her earplugs - notably for the holiday meal.
For the 23-year-old, Christmas often feels like a especially challenging period as the auditory triggers of family members munching, slurping and nose-blowing cause her profound anxiety.
"There's this wave of sudden panic, my whole body will just tighten and it as though I'm in peril, and I need to somehow control these sounds."
Lottie has lived with sound sensitivity from a young age and for her that causes the holiday period "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to particular auditory triggers, notably sounds coming from individuals.
It's surprisingly common amongst adults. A study found a significant portion of people are affected by it.
Typically it's sounds connected to eating or drinking that trigger a reaction, as well as things like chewing, heavy breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
'Anxiety Inducing'
The sufferer notes: "You encounter so many various auditory triggers at the holidays and that can be daunting and make you dread it.
"Those close to me are aware, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to upset others. It's like a really big battle of enduring my distress to guarantee the event goes smoothly."
So it's clear why the most wonderful time of the year can transform into a stressful ordeal for sufferers.
Triggers that may appear innocuous, like someone drinking champagne, opening presents, or enjoying festive food can provoke a powerful reaction that can even cause them skipping events entirely.
She, a university student, who has struggled with sound sensitivity from childhood, states currently her plan is to listen to music to manage the meal. On any other day, she would frequently go in a separate space to escape distressing triggers.
She says her sensitivity is more pronounced around people she's most familiar with, so Christmas is always "hard".
"People assume you to spend time with loved ones, and I want to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"It's like this intense irritation washes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel anxious and burst into tears and then panic will activate.
"It may seem as if I'm being unreasonable and overreacting, but it's tough to describe unless you've experienced it."
A Few Techniques to Manage
For those affected then there are some different techniques you can attempt to manage the situation, as suggested by experts.
- Imagine an Alternative: Mental imagery is essential. Attempt to link the particular sound bothering you with an unrelated image. As an illustration, 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 poses no threat.
- Try a Competition: Introduce playfulness and turn the annoying sound into a challenge with the person. For example, if someone is crunching loudly try copying the noise. By joining in, 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 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 having to make that sound. For example if someone was sniffing, it could be that they're not in good health or could be emotional. This approach is altering the perception of the sound. Although the sound doesn't change, your understanding of it changes from being annoying, to feeling a slightly more compassionate about it.
