The Holiday Season Can Be a Nightmare for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
Lottie anticipates seeing her family over the holidays, but admits a key strategy she'll cope is by relying on her noise-cancelling devices - notably for Christmas dinner.
For the 23-year-old, this time of year is a notably tough time as the auditory triggers of people eating, slurping and nose-blowing make her feel extremely uncomfortable.
"I experience this feeling of sudden panic, my entire being will just freeze and it feels like I'm in danger, and I need to somehow control these sounds."
Lottie has lived with misophonia since she was 16 and for her that makes the holiday period "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to specific noises, particularly those coming from those around you.
It is prevalent amongst adults. A study reported almost one in five people experience it.
Frequently it's noises connected to mouth, throat or facial movements that trigger a reaction, including examples such as chewing, heavy breathing, and pen clicking.
A Source of Dread
She explains: "I face so many various auditory triggers at Christmas and that can be stressful and make you want to avoid it.
"Those close to me are supportive, but I'm very aware that I don't want to upset others. 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 quickly turn into a stressful ordeal for affected individuals.
Triggers that may seem harmless, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or eating the holiday meal can provoke a visceral feeling that can even cause them withdrawing from gatherings.
Jenna, a university student, who has experienced misophonia from childhood, states her strategy is to use headphones to manage the meal. On any other day, she would usually isolate herself in a different room to minimize triggering sounds.
She says her condition is more pronounced around people she's most comfortable with, so the holidays is always "hard".
"There's an expectation to spend time with family, and I desire to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"The sensation is this intense irritation takes hold, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel anxious and begin to weep and then panic will kick in.
"It may seem as if I'm being difficult and overreacting, but it's hard to explain without firsthand experience."
Three Ways to Handle It
If it's an issue then there are a few methods you can attempt to manage the situation, according to specialists.
- Visualise Something Else: Imagination is key. Try to associate the triggering sound bothering you with a neutral concept. For instance, try to picture someone's slurping is just a gentle stream. This technique is to help your brain learn that the sound affecting you poses no threat.
- Use Humor: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a competition with the culprit. As an example, if someone is eating noisily try joining in. By mimicking, rather than feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an willing part. And the competition element should help shift your attention and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Develop a Narrative: A further strategy is to try to create a little story about why the person creating the sound is having to make that sound. Imagine if someone was making a nasal sound, maybe they are not at their best or maybe they're upset. This approach is changing the meaning of the sound. Although the noise stays the same, your interpretation of it shifts from being irritating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate about it.