The Holiday Season Often Proves to Be a Nightmare for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
A 23-year-old anticipates being with her family during the festive period, but says one of the only ways she'll cope is by wearing her hearing protection - notably for the holiday meal.
For the 23-year-old, the holidays often feels like a notably tough season as the noises of people eating, slurping and nose-blowing trigger intense distress.
"There's this feeling of immediate anxiety, my whole body will just tense up and it seems as if I'm in danger, and I need to manage these sounds."
She has suffered from sound sensitivity from a young age and for her that causes the festive season "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to particular auditory triggers, especially noises coming from those around you.
The condition is widespread across the population. A study discovered nearly 20% people suffer from it.
Often it's sounds associated with mouth, throat or facial movements that cause distress, including examples such as crunching, heavy breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
A Source of Dread
Lottie says: "You encounter so many various auditory triggers at the holidays and that can be stressful and make you want to avoid it.
"My relatives are understanding, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a really big battle of enduring my distress to ensure others enjoy themselves."
So it's easy to understand why the traditionally happy season can transform into a living nightmare for sufferers.
Noises that may be considered normal, like someone drinking champagne, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can cause a visceral feeling that can even lead to them withdrawing from gatherings.
Jenna, a university student, who has struggled with misophonia from childhood, says currently her plan is to listen to music to cope. Typically, she would often retreat in a separate space to escape problematic noises.
She says her misophonia is worse around people she's most comfortable with, so Christmas is always "challenging".
"People assume you to be around loved ones, and I want to, but it's draining.
"I feel as if this intense irritation takes hold, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel anxious and immediately start crying and then panic will activate.
"To others it appears as if I'm being oversensitive and overreacting, but it's difficult to convey without firsthand experience."
Three Ways to Handle It
For those affected then there are various strategies you can use to handle the situation, as suggested by experts.
- Visualise an Alternative: Creative thinking is key. Work on connecting the triggering sound bothering you with an unrelated image. For instance, try to picture someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. The goal is to retrain your mind that the sound triggering you poses no threat.
- Use Humor: Have a bit of fun and make the irritating noise into a game with the person. As an example, if someone is crunching loudly try joining in. Through participation, instead of feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an engaged person. And the game aspect should help distract your brain and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Create a Scenario: A further strategy is to try to create a little story about the reason someone creating the sound is doing it. So if someone was sniffing, perhaps they're not at their best or maybe they're upset. By doing this is altering the perception of the sound. Although the noise remains identical, your understanding of it shifts from being annoying, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.
