Yuletide Often Proves to Be a Nightmare for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
One young woman anticipates spending time with her family during the festive period, but admits a key strategy she'll endure is by wearing her hearing protection - especially during the main festive feast.
For her, the holidays can be a particularly difficult time as the auditory triggers of people eating, slurping and breathing heavily cause her intense distress.
"I get this feeling of sudden panic, my whole body will just freeze and it seems as if I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to stop these sounds."
The individual has experienced this condition for several years and for her that makes the Christmas time "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to particular auditory triggers, notably sounds made by those around you.
It is prevalent in the UK. Researchers reported almost one in five people suffer from it.
Frequently it's sounds connected to mouth, throat or facial movements that trigger a reaction, along with things like crunching, breathing, and pen clicking.
Triggering Stress
She explains: "There are so many various auditory triggers at Christmas and that can be stressful and make you dread it.
"My relatives are supportive, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a constant struggle of managing my symptoms to ensure everyone else is happy."
So it's easy to understand why the supposedly joyous period can transform into a stressful ordeal for those with the condition.
Triggers that may be considered normal, like someone sipping a beverage, opening presents, or eating the holiday meal can provoke a visceral feeling that can even result in them withdrawing from gatherings.
She, a university student, who has struggled with sound sensitivity since aged 10, states currently her plan is to use headphones to manage the meal. On any other day, she would usually isolate herself in a different room to avoid problematic noises.
She explains her condition is more intense around people she's most familiar with, so Christmas is always "difficult".
"People assume you to spend time with family, and I desire to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"I feel as if this intense irritation washes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel panicked and burst into tears and then fight-or-flight will take over.
"It may seem as if I'm being difficult and melodramatic, but it's difficult to convey if you haven't felt it."
Several Strategies to Manage
For those affected then there are a few methods you can attempt to manage the situation, according to clinical psychologists.
- Picture a Different Scenario: Creative thinking is essential. Attempt to link the specific noise causing distress with something completely different. So for example, try to envision someone's noisy drinking is just a waterfall. By doing this 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 challenge involving the source. For example, if someone is eating noisily attempt mimicking the sound. By mimicking, instead of feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an willing part. And the challenge should help distract your brain and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Craft a Story: A further strategy is to try to create a little story about why the person making the noise is having to make that sound. For example if someone was sniffing, maybe they are not in good health or maybe they're upset. This approach is altering the perception of the sound. Even though the sound doesn't change, your reaction of it changes from being aggravating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate towards it.
