Christmas Often Proves to Be a Living Hell for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
Lottie anticipates seeing her loved ones during the festive period, but admits one of the only ways she'll endure is by wearing her noise-cancelling devices - notably for Christmas dinner.
For her, this time of year often feels like a particularly difficult time as the noises of people eating, slurping and nose-blowing make her feel intense distress.
"I experience this wave of sudden panic, my entire being will just tighten and it as though I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to stop these noises."
She has lived with misophonia from a young age and for her that renders the Christmas time "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to specific noises, notably sounds produced by those around you.
It's surprisingly common in the UK. Experts found nearly 20% people suffer from it.
Typically it's sounds associated with bodily functions that lead to discomfort, including examples such as chewing, heavy breathing, and pen clicking.
A Source of Dread
The sufferer notes: "You encounter so many various auditory triggers at the holidays and that can be anxiety inducing and make you want to avoid it.
"My family are aware, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a internal conflict of sacrificing my own sanity to guarantee the event goes smoothly."
So it's easy to understand why the supposedly joyous season can transform into a stressful ordeal for sufferers.
Sounds that may seem harmless, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, unwrapping gifts, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can provoke a powerful reaction that can even result in them withdrawing from gatherings.
Jenna, a 21-year-old student, who has experienced misophonia for over a decade, explains currently her plan is to put her earphones in to cope. Typically, she would frequently go in a separate space to minimize triggering sounds.
She explains her sensitivity is more pronounced around people she's most comfortable with, so Christmas is always "difficult".
"There's an expectation to spend time with loved ones, and I wish to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"The sensation is this uncontrollable anger washes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel stressed and begin to weep and then panic will take over.
"To others it appears as if I'm being difficult and dramatic, but it's difficult to convey if you haven't felt it."
Several Strategies to Handle It
For those affected then there are some different techniques you can attempt to manage the situation, according to clinical psychologists.
- Picture a Different Scenario: Imagination is crucial. Work on connecting the triggering sound bothering you with something completely different. So for example, try to imagine someone's slurping is just a sink draining water. By doing this is to help your brain learn that the sound affecting you is neutral.
- Try a Competition: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a game involving the source. As an example, if someone is crunching loudly attempt copying the noise. Through participation, rather than feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an active participant. And the challenge should help shift your attention and make you a little less affected.
- Craft a Story: One more method is to try to create a little story about the reason someone creating the sound is having to make that sound. For example if someone was making a nasal sound, perhaps they're not in good health or are troubled. By doing this is re-framing the context of the sound. Although the sound stays the same, your interpretation of it changes from being irritating, to feeling a little more neutral about it.
