Christmas Can Be a Living Hell for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
A 23-year-old hopes for seeing her family during the festive period, but notes a key strategy she'll manage to get through it is by wearing her hearing protection - notably for the holiday meal.
In her case, Christmas is a notably tough season as the noises of family members munching, sipping loudly and sniffling cause her extremely uncomfortable.
"I get this feeling of instant dread, my entire being will just tighten and it as though I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to somehow control these triggers."
The individual has experienced this condition from a young age and for her that makes the holiday period "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to particular auditory triggers, especially noises produced by those around you.
It is prevalent amongst adults. Researchers discovered almost one in five people are affected by it.
Frequently it's sounds associated with mouth, throat or facial movements that trigger a reaction, along with examples such as crunching, heavy breathing, and foot tapping.
A Source of Dread
The sufferer notes: "You encounter so many different triggering sounds at the holidays and that can be daunting and make you want to avoid it.
"Those close to me are understanding, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to upset others. It's like a constant struggle of managing my symptoms to make sure everyone else is happy."
So it's obvious why the supposedly joyous period can rapidly become a living nightmare for sufferers.
Triggers that may seem harmless, like someone sipping a beverage, unwrapping gifts, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can trigger a strong emotional response that can even result in them avoiding social settings altogether.
Jenna, a university student, who has dealt with misophonia from childhood, says her strategy is to use headphones to get through dinner. Usually, she would often retreat in a different room to minimize distressing triggers.
She notes her misophonia is more intense around people she's most familiar with, so the holidays is always "challenging".
"There is pressure to socialize with loved ones, and I want to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"I feel as if this intense irritation washes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel anxious and begin to weep and then fight-or-flight will take over.
"To others it appears as if I'm being oversensitive and melodramatic, but it's tough to describe without firsthand experience."
Three Ways to Cope
If you suffer then there are various strategies you can try to cope the situation, according to experts.
- Picture a Different Scenario: Mental imagery is crucial. Try to associate the triggering sound causing distress with a neutral concept. As an illustration, try to imagine someone's slurping is just a waterfall. By doing this is to retrain your mind that the sound affecting you isn't harmful.
- Make it a Game: Use lightheartedness and make the irritating noise into a challenge with the culprit. For instance, if someone is eating noisily try joining in. Through participation, instead of feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an active participant. And the game aspect should help distract your brain and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Develop a Narrative: One more method is to try to invent a reason about the reason someone creating the sound is having to make that sound. So if someone was making a nasal sound, it could be that they're not in good health or could be emotional. By doing this is re-framing the context of the sound. Although the noise doesn't change, your interpretation of it moves from being irritating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate about it.
