Yuletide Transforms Into a Nightmare for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
One young woman is looking forward to spending time with her family over the holidays, but admits a key strategy she'll manage to get through it is by using her earplugs - particularly at Christmas dinner.
For her, this time of year is a especially challenging period as the auditory triggers of people eating, slurping and nose-blowing make her feel intense distress.
"I get this feeling of sudden panic, my whole body will just tense up and it as though I'm in danger, and I need to stop these noises."
She has suffered from sound sensitivity from a young age and for her that renders the holiday period "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to certain sounds, particularly those coming from other people.
It is prevalent in the UK. Researchers reported almost one in five people experience it.
Often it's sounds connected to mouth, throat or facial movements that cause distress, as well as things like crunching, heavy breathing, and pen clicking.
Triggering Stress
She explains: "You encounter so many assorted problematic noises at Christmas and that can be anxiety inducing and make you want to avoid it.
"My relatives are understanding, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to upset others. It's like a constant struggle of managing my symptoms to guarantee everyone else is happy."
So it's easy to understand why the supposedly joyous period can quickly turn into a living nightmare for affected individuals.
Triggers that may be considered normal, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or eating the holiday meal can cause a visceral feeling that can even result in them withdrawing from gatherings.
She, a 21-year-old student, who has experienced misophonia since aged 10, explains her strategy is to put her earphones in to manage the meal. Usually, she would frequently go in a separate space to avoid distressing triggers.
She says her misophonia is more intense around people she's most familiar with, so Christmas is always "hard".
"People assume you to be around loved ones, and I wish to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"The sensation is this sudden rage washes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel panicked and immediately start crying and then fight-or-flight will activate.
"It can come across as if I'm being oversensitive and melodramatic, but it's hard to explain unless you've experienced it."
Three Ways to Handle It
If it's an issue then there are some different techniques you can use to handle the situation, based on advice from specialists.
- Imagine Something Else: Mental imagery is essential. Try to associate the particular sound affecting you with a neutral concept. For instance, try to picture someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. The goal is to teach your brain that the sound triggering you isn't harmful.
- Use Humor: Have a bit of fun and turn the annoying sound into a challenge with the person. For example, if someone is crunching loudly try copying the noise. By mimicking, rather than feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an active participant. And the game aspect should help distract your brain and make you a little less affected.
- Create a Scenario: One more method is to try to create a little story about why the person creating the sound is doing it. So if someone was making a nasal sound, maybe they are not feeling well or maybe they're upset. This approach is changing the meaning of the sound. Even though the noise doesn't change, your understanding of it shifts from being annoying, to feeling a little more neutral towards it.
