Christmas Can Be a Terrifying Experience for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
One young woman anticipates being with her loved ones during the festive period, but admits a key strategy she'll manage to get through it is by wearing her noise-cancelling devices - notably for Christmas dinner.
In her case, the holidays is a notably tough period as the sounds of people eating, slurping and sniffling cause her profound anxiety.
"I get this feeling of instant dread, my every muscle will just tighten and it feels like I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to manage these sounds."
She has experienced misophonia since she was 16 and for her that makes the Christmas time "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to particular auditory triggers, particularly those made by individuals.
It's surprisingly common across the population. Researchers reported a significant portion of people are affected by it.
Typically it's sounds associated with mouth, throat or facial movements that trigger a reaction, along with examples such as chewing, heavy breathing, and foot tapping.
'Anxiety Inducing'
She explains: "I face so many assorted problematic noises at the holidays and that can be anxiety inducing and make you fear it.
"My relatives are supportive, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a internal conflict of managing my symptoms to make sure others enjoy themselves."
So it's clear why the supposedly joyous period can rapidly become a source of agony for those with the condition.
Noises that may be considered normal, like someone drinking champagne, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or enjoying festive food can provoke a visceral feeling that can even cause them avoiding social settings altogether.
She, a young adult, who has experienced misophonia from childhood, states the approach she intends to use is to use headphones to cope. Typically, she would frequently go in a different room to escape problematic noises.
She explains her sensitivity is more intense around people she's closest to, so Christmas is always "difficult".
"There is pressure to be around loved ones, and I want to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"The sensation is this uncontrollable anger washes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel anxious and burst into tears and then fight-or-flight will take over.
"It may seem as if I'm being difficult and dramatic, but it's hard to explain without firsthand experience."
A Few Techniques to Manage
If it's an issue then there are some different techniques you can try to cope the situation, based on advice from experts.
- Picture Something Else: Mental imagery is key. Work on connecting the particular sound causing distress with a neutral concept. So for example, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a waterfall. By doing this is to teach your brain that the sound affecting you is neutral.
- Make it a Game: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a competition with the culprit. For instance, if someone is crunching loudly attempt mimicking the sound. By mimicking, rather than feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an willing part. And the competition element should help redirect your focus and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Craft a Story: A further strategy is to try to create a little story about why the person creating the sound is behaving that way. For example if someone was sniffing, maybe they are not feeling well or are troubled. The idea is re-framing the context of the sound. Although the noise remains identical, your understanding of it shifts from being annoying, to feeling a slightly more compassionate towards it.
