Yuletide Can Be a Terrifying Experience for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
A 23-year-old hopes for seeing her family during the festive period, but says one of the only ways she'll cope is by relying on her hearing protection - particularly at the main festive feast.
For the 23-year-old, this time of year is a especially challenging time as the noises of other people chewing, sipping loudly and nose-blowing make her feel intense distress.
"I experience this sensation of instant dread, my entire being will just freeze and it feels like I'm in danger, and I need to manage these sounds."
Lottie has suffered from this condition from a young age and for her that causes the Christmas time "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to certain sounds, especially noises coming from individuals.
It's surprisingly common in the UK. Experts found a significant portion of people experience it.
Frequently it's noises connected to eating or drinking that trigger a reaction, along with examples such as chewing, heavy breathing, and foot tapping.
Triggering Stress
She explains: "I face so many various auditory triggers at Christmas and that can be stressful and make you fear it.
"Those close to me are understanding, but I'm very aware that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a internal conflict of managing my symptoms to make sure everyone else is happy."
So it's easy to understand why the traditionally happy time of the year can quickly turn into a living nightmare for those with the condition.
Triggers that may appear innocuous, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, opening presents, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can provoke a strong emotional response that can even cause them avoiding social settings altogether.
Jenna, a 21-year-old student, who has experienced misophonia from childhood, explains the approach she intends to use is to listen to music to get through dinner. Typically, she would usually isolate herself in a separate space to avoid problematic noises.
She notes her sensitivity is more pronounced around people she's closest to, so Christmas is always "hard".
"There's an expectation to be around family, and I desire to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"I feel as if this intense irritation washes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel anxious and immediately start crying and then the stress response will activate.
"It may seem as if I'm being difficult and melodramatic, but it's hard to explain without firsthand experience."
A Few Techniques to Manage
If you suffer then there are a few methods you can try to cope the situation, based on advice from specialists.
- Visualise an Alternative: Imagination is essential. Work on connecting the particular sound affecting you with something completely different. As an illustration, try to picture someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. This technique is to retrain your mind that the sound triggering you is neutral.
- Use Humor: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a competition with the person. For instance, if someone is crunching loudly attempt copying the noise. By joining in, instead of feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an engaged person. And the challenge should help redirect your focus and make you a little less affected.
- Craft a Story: A further strategy is to try to create a little story about why the person making the noise is behaving that way. So if someone was sniffing, maybe they are not in good health or are troubled. The idea is changing the meaning of the sound. Although the noise stays the same, your understanding of it shifts from being aggravating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate about it.
