Yuletide Often Proves to Be a Living Hell for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
Lottie is looking forward to spending time with her loved ones this Christmas, but admits one of the only ways she'll endure is by relying on her hearing protection - notably for Christmas dinner.
For the 23-year-old, this time of year often feels like a especially challenging time as the sounds of people eating, sipping loudly and breathing heavily trigger profound anxiety.
"There's this feeling of instant dread, my whole body will just freeze and it feels like I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to somehow control these noises."
Lottie has lived with this condition since she was 16 and for her that causes the Christmas time "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to specific noises, especially noises produced by other people.
The condition is widespread across the population. Researchers reported almost one in five people suffer from it.
Typically it's sounds connected to mouth, throat or facial movements that cause distress, along with examples such as crunching, heavy breathing, and foot tapping.
'Anxiety Inducing'
Lottie says: "You encounter so many different triggering sounds at Christmas and that can be daunting and make you dread it.
"My family are supportive, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to upset others. It's like a really big battle of sacrificing my own sanity to guarantee the event goes smoothly."
So it's clear why the most wonderful time of the year can quickly turn into a source of agony for affected individuals.
Triggers that may be considered normal, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, opening presents, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can provoke a strong emotional response that can even lead to them skipping events entirely.
The student, a 21-year-old student, who has experienced misophonia from childhood, says currently her plan is to put her earphones in to cope. Usually, she would often retreat in a separate space to avoid problematic noises.
She notes her sensitivity is worse around people she's most comfortable with, so Christmas is always "challenging".
"There's an expectation to socialize with family, and I want to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"I feel as if this intense irritation takes hold, which can feel embarrassing, 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 tough to describe without firsthand experience."
Several Strategies to Cope
If it's an issue then there are some different techniques you can use to handle the situation, according to specialists.
- Picture an Alternative: Imagination is crucial. Try to associate the particular sound affecting you with an unrelated image. So for example, 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 poses no threat.
- Try a Competition: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a challenge involving the source. For instance, if someone is crunching loudly try copying the noise. By joining in, rather than feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an engaged person. And the competition element should help shift your attention and make you a little less affected.
- Develop a Narrative: A further strategy is to try to create a little story about why the person making the noise is doing it. So if someone was sniffing, it could be that they're not in good health or are troubled. The idea is re-framing the context of the sound. Although the sound stays the same, your reaction of it changes from being aggravating, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.
