The Holiday Season Transforms Into a Nightmare for Misophonia Sufferers.
Lottie hopes for being with her loved ones over the holidays, but notes a key strategy 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 notably tough time as the auditory triggers of other people chewing, sipping loudly and breathing heavily trigger intense distress.
"There's this sensation of instant dread, my whole body will just tense up and it seems as if I'm in peril, and I need to stop these triggers."
Lottie has lived with sound sensitivity from a young age and for her that causes the festive season "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to particular auditory triggers, notably sounds coming from individuals.
It is prevalent in the UK. Researchers discovered a significant portion of people suffer from it.
Often it's sounds associated with mouth, throat or facial movements that cause distress, as well as examples such as crunching, breathing, and pen clicking.
Triggering Stress
The sufferer notes: "There are so many different triggering sounds at Christmas and that can be daunting and make you want to avoid it.
"My family are supportive, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a internal conflict of sacrificing my own sanity to make sure everyone else is happy."
So it's easy to understand why the supposedly joyous period can transform into a living nightmare for sufferers.
Triggers that may seem harmless, like someone drinking champagne, opening presents, or eating the holiday meal can provoke a visceral feeling that can even lead to them skipping events entirely.
Jenna, a university student, who has dealt with sound sensitivity for over a decade, states her strategy is to use headphones to cope. Typically, she would often retreat in a quiet area to escape distressing triggers.
She notes her sensitivity is worse around people she's closest to, so the holidays is always "difficult".
"There's an expectation to socialize with family, and I wish to, but it's draining.
"It's like this sudden rage comes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel panicked and immediately start crying and then fight-or-flight will kick in.
"To others it appears as if I'm being difficult and dramatic, but it's difficult to convey unless you've experienced it."
A Few Techniques to Manage
For those affected then there are a few methods you can try to cope the situation, as suggested by specialists.
- Imagine a Different Scenario: Creative thinking is key. Attempt to link the particular sound causing distress with an unrelated image. So for example, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. The goal is to teach your brain that the sound triggering you is neutral.
- Try a Competition: Have a bit of fun and make the irritating noise into a competition involving the source. As an example, if someone is crunching loudly try mimicking the sound. By mimicking, instead of feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an willing part. And the challenge should help redirect your focus and make you a little less affected.
- Develop a Narrative: Another technique is to try to create a little story about the reason someone making the noise is behaving that way. Imagine if someone was making a nasal sound, perhaps they're not feeling well or are troubled. This approach is changing the meaning of the sound. While the noise doesn't change, your interpretation of it changes from being aggravating, to feeling a little more neutral about it.
