Christmas Can Be a Living Hell for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
One young woman is looking forward to seeing her family during the festive period, but notes a key strategy she'll manage to get through it is by using her hearing protection - particularly at the holiday meal.
For the 23-year-old, the holidays is a notably tough time as the auditory triggers of other people chewing, slurping and nose-blowing trigger intense distress.
"I experience this sensation of immediate anxiety, my every muscle will just tighten and it seems as if 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 renders the festive season "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to particular auditory triggers, notably sounds produced by individuals.
It is prevalent amongst adults. Researchers reported nearly 20% people suffer from it.
Typically it's noises connected to eating or drinking that trigger a reaction, along with examples such as chewing, breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
Triggering Stress
She explains: "I face so many various auditory triggers at the holidays and that can be anxiety inducing and make you dread it.
"Those close to me are supportive, but I'm very aware that I don't want to upset others. It's like a internal conflict of managing my symptoms to ensure everyone else is happy."
So it's clear why the traditionally happy season can rapidly become a living nightmare for affected individuals.
Sounds that may seem harmless, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, unwrapping gifts, or enjoying festive food can provoke a visceral feeling that can even lead to them avoiding social settings altogether.
The student, a 21-year-old student, who has dealt with misophonia since aged 10, says the approach she intends to use is to put her earphones in to cope. Usually, she would usually isolate herself in a separate space to minimize distressing triggers.
She explains her sensitivity is more pronounced around people she's closest to, so Christmas is always "hard".
"There's an expectation to be around family, and I want to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"I feel as if this uncontrollable anger comes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel panicked and immediately start crying and then panic will activate.
"It can come across as if I'm being difficult and melodramatic, but it's hard to explain without firsthand experience."
Several Strategies to Manage
For those affected then there are various strategies you can try to cope the situation, as suggested by specialists.
- Picture a Different Scenario: Mental imagery is essential. Attempt to link the specific noise affecting you with a neutral concept. So for example, try to envision someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. By doing this is to retrain your mind that the sound triggering you isn't harmful.
- Try a Competition: Use lightheartedness and turn the annoying sound into a competition with the person. For example, if someone is eating noisily have a go at mimicking the sound. By mimicking, rather than feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an active participant. And the challenge should help distract your brain and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Develop a Narrative: A further strategy is to try to fabricate an explanation about the reason someone creating the sound is behaving that way. For example if someone was making a nasal sound, maybe they are not feeling well or are troubled. The idea is changing the meaning of the sound. Even though the noise doesn't change, your reaction of it changes from being irritating, to feeling a little more neutral towards it.
