The Holiday Season Transforms Into a Nightmare for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
One young woman hopes for being with her relatives during the festive period, but notes a primary method she'll cope is by wearing her noise-cancelling devices - especially during the holiday meal.
In her case, Christmas is a especially challenging season as the noises of other people chewing, sipping loudly and breathing heavily trigger extremely uncomfortable.
"I experience this sensation of instant dread, my whole body will just freeze and it seems as if I'm in peril, and I need to somehow control these sounds."
She has experienced this condition since she was 16 and for her that makes the holiday period "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to specific noises, especially noises produced by individuals.
It is prevalent across the population. Experts discovered almost one in five people experience it.
Often it's sounds linked to mouth, throat or facial movements that lead to discomfort, including examples such as chewing, breathing, and pen clicking.
A Source of Dread
She explains: "There are so many assorted problematic noises at Christmas and that can be anxiety inducing and make you dread it.
"Those close to me are understanding, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a constant struggle of managing my symptoms to make sure others enjoy themselves."
So it's easy to understand why the traditionally happy season can transform into a source of agony for affected individuals.
Noises that may appear innocuous, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, unwrapping gifts, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can trigger a powerful reaction that can even result in them avoiding social settings altogether.
She, a young adult, who has experienced sound sensitivity since aged 10, states currently her plan is to listen to music to manage the meal. Usually, she would usually isolate herself in a different room to avoid triggering sounds.
She says her condition is more intense around people she's most familiar with, so Christmas is always "difficult".
"There's an expectation to spend time with loved ones, and I desire to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"The sensation is this intense irritation comes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel anxious and begin to weep and then the stress response will kick in.
"It may seem as if I'm being unreasonable and dramatic, but it's difficult to convey unless you've experienced it."
Several Strategies to Manage
If it's an issue then there are various strategies you can attempt to manage the situation, as suggested by experts.
- Visualise Something Else: Mental imagery is key. Work on connecting the particular sound affecting you with an unrelated image. So for example, try to picture someone's noisy drinking is just a sink draining water. This technique is to teach your brain that the sound triggering you poses no threat.
- Try a Competition: Use lightheartedness and turn the annoying sound into a game with the culprit. For instance, if someone is crunching loudly have a go at copying the noise. By joining in, instead of feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an willing part. And the challenge should help shift your attention and make you a little less affected.
- Create a Scenario: Another technique is to try to fabricate an explanation about the reason someone creating the sound is having to make that sound. For example if someone was sniffing, perhaps they're not feeling well or are troubled. The idea is re-framing the context of the sound. Although the noise stays the same, your understanding of it changes from being aggravating, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.
