The Holiday Season Often Proves to Be a Nightmare for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
A 23-year-old anticipates spending time with her family this Christmas, but says a primary method she'll cope is by wearing her earplugs - particularly at Christmas dinner.
In her case, this time of year can be a particularly difficult time as the noises of other people chewing, drinking noisily and breathing heavily cause her intense distress.
"I experience this wave 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 sounds."
The individual has suffered from misophonia from a young age and for her that renders the holiday period "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to certain sounds, particularly those produced by other people.
The condition is widespread across the population. Researchers reported nearly 20% people are affected by it.
Frequently it's sounds associated with mouth, throat or facial movements that cause distress, including examples such as chewing, breathing, and pen clicking.
A Source of Dread
Lottie says: "There are so many assorted problematic noises at the holidays and that can be daunting and make you dread it.
"My relatives are aware, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to upset others. It's like a internal conflict of sacrificing my own sanity to guarantee everyone else is happy."
So it's obvious why the traditionally happy season can rapidly become a living nightmare for sufferers.
Sounds that may be considered normal, like someone drinking champagne, opening presents, or eating the holiday meal can cause a powerful reaction that can even cause them withdrawing from gatherings.
She, a university student, who has dealt with misophonia for over a decade, states the approach she intends to use is to put her earphones in to cope. On any other day, she would often retreat in a quiet area to minimize triggering sounds.
She explains her misophonia is more pronounced around people she's closest to, so Christmas is always "hard".
"People assume you to spend time with loved ones, and I want to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"It's like this sudden rage takes hold, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel anxious and begin to weep and then the stress response will kick in.
"To others it appears as if I'm being unreasonable and melodramatic, but it's tough to describe without firsthand experience."
Several Strategies to Cope
If you suffer then there are various strategies you can use to handle the situation, based on advice from specialists.
- Visualise a Different Scenario: Creative thinking is key. Try to associate the particular sound causing distress with something completely different. As an illustration, try to picture someone's noisy drinking is just a sink draining water. The goal is to teach your brain that the sound affecting you is neutral.
- Make it a Game: Have a bit of fun and turn the annoying sound into a game with the culprit. For instance, if someone is crunching loudly try joining in. By joining in, rather than feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an active participant. And the game aspect 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 why the person creating the sound is behaving that way. Imagine if someone was making a nasal sound, maybe they are not in good health or maybe they're upset. By doing this is re-framing the context of the sound. Even though the noise doesn't change, your understanding of it moves from being aggravating, to feeling a little more neutral towards it.
