Christmas Transforms Into a Terrifying Experience for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
One young woman is looking forward to seeing her loved ones this Christmas, but admits a primary method she'll cope is by using her noise-cancelling devices - especially during the holiday meal.
In her case, Christmas often feels like a notably tough time as the noises of family members munching, drinking noisily and sniffling make her feel intense distress.
"I experience this feeling of sudden panic, my entire being will just freeze and it as though I'm in peril, and I need to stop these sounds."
The individual has experienced sound sensitivity from a young age and for her that makes the holiday period "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to particular auditory triggers, notably sounds made by other people.
It's surprisingly common across the population. A study reported almost one in five people are affected by it.
Frequently it's sounds linked to bodily functions that lead to discomfort, as well as examples such as crunching, breathing, and pen clicking.
Triggering Stress
The sufferer notes: "You encounter so many various auditory triggers at Christmas and that can be anxiety inducing and make you dread it.
"My relatives are supportive, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to upset others. It's like a internal conflict of sacrificing my own sanity to make sure the event goes smoothly."
So it's clear why the traditionally happy season can rapidly become a living nightmare for those with the condition.
Noises that may appear innocuous, like someone drinking champagne, unwrapping gifts, or eating the holiday meal can cause a visceral feeling that can even result in them withdrawing from gatherings.
The student, a university student, who has struggled with misophonia since aged 10, says the approach she intends to use is to use headphones to get through dinner. On any other day, she would frequently go in a different room to escape distressing triggers.
She says her sensitivity is worse around people she's most familiar with, so Christmas is always "hard".
"There is pressure to be around family, and I want to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"It's like this sudden rage takes hold, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel stressed and begin to weep and then the stress response will activate.
"It may seem as if I'm being unreasonable and melodramatic, but it's hard to explain if you haven't felt it."
A Few Techniques to Handle It
If you suffer then there are various strategies you can attempt to manage the situation, according to specialists.
- Visualise an Alternative: Creative thinking is key. Work on connecting the triggering sound causing distress with a neutral concept. So for example, try to picture someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. By doing this is to help your brain learn that the sound triggering you is neutral.
- Try a Competition: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a challenge with the person. For example, if someone is eating noisily have a go at joining in. Through participation, rather than feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an engaged person. And the competition element should help redirect your focus and make you a little less affected.
- Craft a Story: One more method is to try to invent a reason about the reason someone creating the sound is doing it. So if someone was sniffing, perhaps they're not in good health or could be emotional. By doing this is altering the perception of the sound. Although the noise doesn't change, your interpretation of it moves from being annoying, to feeling a bit more accepting towards it.
