Christmas Often Proves to Be a Terrifying Experience for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
One young woman anticipates seeing her family this Christmas, but notes one of the only ways she'll manage to get through it is by wearing her hearing protection - especially during Christmas dinner.
In her case, this time of year is a especially challenging period as the auditory triggers of people eating, drinking noisily and nose-blowing trigger profound anxiety.
"I experience this feeling of sudden panic, my whole body will just tense up and it feels like I'm in danger, and I need to stop these triggers."
The individual has suffered from sound sensitivity since she was 16 and for her that causes the festive season "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to particular auditory triggers, notably sounds made by individuals.
It is prevalent amongst adults. Experts found nearly 20% people are affected by it.
Often it's noises associated with mouth, throat or facial movements that trigger a reaction, along with things like chewing, breathing, and foot tapping.
A Source of Dread
Lottie says: "You encounter so many assorted problematic noises at Christmas and that can be anxiety inducing and make you fear it.
"My family are understanding, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a really big battle of enduring my distress to guarantee the event goes smoothly."
So it's clear why the traditionally happy season can rapidly become a source of agony for sufferers.
Noises that may seem harmless, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or eating the holiday meal can trigger a powerful reaction that can even cause them avoiding social settings altogether.
Jenna, a young adult, who has dealt with sound sensitivity for over a decade, explains the approach she intends to use is to use headphones to cope. Usually, she would frequently go in a separate space to escape distressing triggers.
She says her sensitivity is more intense around people she's most comfortable with, so the holidays is always "difficult".
"There is pressure to spend time with family, and I want to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"I feel as if this sudden rage washes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel anxious and burst into tears and then the stress response will take over.
"It can come across as if I'm being unreasonable and overreacting, but it's difficult to convey unless you've experienced it."
A Few Techniques to Cope
If you suffer then there are some different techniques you can use to handle the situation, according to clinical psychologists.
- Picture a Different Scenario: Imagination is crucial. Try to associate the particular sound affecting you with an unrelated image. So for example, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a waterfall. The goal is to retrain your mind that the sound affecting you poses no threat.
- Make it a Game: Introduce playfulness and turn the annoying sound into a game with the person. For example, if someone is eating noisily have a go at copying the noise. By joining in, rather than feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an active participant. And the game aspect should help redirect your focus and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Craft a Story: Another technique is to try to fabricate an explanation about why the person creating the sound is doing it. For example if someone was making a nasal sound, perhaps they're not feeling well or are troubled. By doing this is altering the perception of the sound. Although the sound doesn't change, your reaction of it changes from being irritating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate towards it.
