Yuletide Transforms Into a Living Hell for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
A 23-year-old hopes for seeing her relatives this Christmas, but says a key strategy she'll cope is by using her hearing protection - particularly at the main festive feast.
In her case, the holidays can be a notably tough time as the auditory triggers of people eating, sipping loudly and sniffling trigger extremely uncomfortable.
"I experience this feeling of sudden panic, my entire being will just freeze and it as though I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to somehow control these sounds."
She has suffered from misophonia for several years and for her that renders the holiday period "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to particular auditory triggers, especially noises made by individuals.
It's surprisingly common across the population. Experts reported a significant portion of people are affected by it.
Frequently it's sounds linked to mouth, throat or facial movements that trigger a reaction, along with things like chewing, heavy breathing, and foot tapping.
'Anxiety Inducing'
The sufferer notes: "There are so many assorted problematic noises at Christmas and that can be stressful and make you fear it.
"Those close to me are understanding, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to upset others. It's like a internal conflict of sacrificing my own sanity to guarantee others enjoy themselves."
So it's easy to understand why the traditionally happy time of the year can quickly turn into a stressful ordeal for affected individuals.
Noises that may be considered normal, like someone drinking champagne, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or eating the holiday meal can provoke a strong emotional response that can even cause them skipping events entirely.
Jenna, a university student, who has dealt with misophonia for over a decade, explains the approach she intends to use is to use headphones to get through dinner. Usually, she would usually isolate herself in a different room to avoid problematic noises.
She notes her sensitivity is more pronounced around people she's most familiar with, so Christmas is always "hard".
"There's an expectation to spend time with family, and I want to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"The sensation is this intense irritation comes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel stressed and immediately start crying and then the stress response will kick in.
"To others it appears as if I'm being difficult and dramatic, but it's tough to describe unless you've experienced it."
Three Ways to Handle It
If you suffer then there are various strategies you can try to cope the situation, as suggested by specialists.
- Picture an Alternative: Mental imagery is essential. Try to associate the particular sound affecting you with something completely different. As an illustration, try to imagine someone's slurping is just a sink draining water. This technique is to retrain your mind that the sound triggering you isn't harmful.
- Make it a Game: Use lightheartedness and turn the annoying sound into a competition with the person. For instance, if someone is eating noisily try copying the noise. Through participation, rather than feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an active participant. And the challenge should help distract your brain and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Create a Scenario: Another technique is to try to fabricate an explanation about the reason someone making the noise is behaving that way. For example if someone was sniffing, it could be that they're not at their best or maybe they're upset. This approach is changing the meaning of the sound. While the sound remains identical, your interpretation of it shifts from being annoying, to feeling a little more neutral towards it.
