The Holiday Season Often Proves to Be a Living Hell for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
Lottie is looking forward to being with her relatives over the holidays, but notes a primary method she'll manage to get through it is by wearing her earplugs - notably for the holiday meal.
For the 23-year-old, the holidays can be a especially challenging time as the noises of other people chewing, drinking noisily and nose-blowing trigger profound anxiety.
"I get this sensation of sudden panic, my every muscle will just freeze and it feels like I'm in danger, and I need to manage these noises."
She has experienced sound sensitivity for several years and for her that makes the holiday period "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to specific noises, particularly those made by individuals.
It's surprisingly common amongst adults. Experts reported a significant portion of people experience it.
Often it's sounds linked to eating or drinking that trigger a reaction, including things like chewing, breathing, and pen clicking.
Triggering Stress
She explains: "I face so many various auditory triggers at the holidays and that can be stressful and make you dread it.
"Those close to me are aware, but I'm very aware that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a internal conflict of enduring my distress to ensure others enjoy themselves."
So it's easy to understand why the most wonderful period can transform into a living nightmare for affected individuals.
Triggers that may be considered normal, like someone drinking champagne, opening presents, or enjoying festive food can trigger a strong emotional response that can even cause them withdrawing from gatherings.
She, a young adult, who has dealt with sound sensitivity from childhood, states the approach she intends to use is to use headphones to get through dinner. On any other day, she would usually isolate herself in a separate space to avoid problematic noises.
She says her misophonia is worse around people she's most familiar with, so Christmas is always "difficult".
"There's an expectation to socialize with family, and I desire to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"The sensation is this sudden rage washes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel anxious and immediately start crying and then the stress response will take over.
"It can come across as if I'm being oversensitive and melodramatic, but it's hard to explain without firsthand experience."
Three Ways to Handle It
If it's an issue then there are various strategies you can use to handle the situation, as suggested by experts.
- Imagine an Alternative: Mental imagery is key. Work on connecting the particular sound bothering you with a neutral concept. For instance, try to picture someone's noisy drinking is just a waterfall. The goal is to help your brain learn that the sound triggering you is neutral.
- Make it a Game: Have a bit of fun and turn the annoying sound into a competition with the culprit. As an example, if someone is crunching loudly have a go at copying the noise. Through participation, instead of feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an engaged person. And the challenge should help redirect your focus and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Develop a Narrative: A further strategy is to try to invent a reason about why the person creating the sound is doing it. For example if someone was making a nasal sound, maybe they are not at their best or maybe they're upset. This approach is altering the perception of the sound. Even though the sound stays the same, your reaction of it moves from being annoying, to feeling a slightly more compassionate about it.
