Christmas Transforms Into a Living Hell for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
A 23-year-old is looking forward to being with her relatives over the holidays, but admits a key strategy she'll cope is by relying on her hearing protection - particularly at Christmas dinner.
For the 23-year-old, this time of year can be a particularly difficult season as the noises of other people chewing, sipping loudly and sniffling cause her profound anxiety.
"There's this sensation of sudden panic, my whole body will just freeze and it as though I'm in peril, and I need to stop these noises."
She has lived with sound sensitivity from a young age and for her that renders the Christmas time "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to specific noises, particularly those produced by individuals.
It is prevalent amongst adults. Researchers discovered a significant portion of people experience it.
Frequently it's noises linked to bodily functions that trigger a reaction, as well as things like chewing, breathing, and pen clicking.
A Source of Dread
She explains: "There are so many different triggering sounds at Christmas and that can be daunting and make you dread it.
"My relatives are aware, but I'm very aware that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a really big battle of sacrificing my own sanity to make sure the event goes smoothly."
So it's easy to understand why the supposedly joyous season can quickly turn into a stressful ordeal for sufferers.
Noises that may seem harmless, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can trigger a visceral feeling that can even cause them withdrawing from gatherings.
The student, a young adult, who has struggled with misophonia since aged 10, explains currently her plan is to put her earphones in to get through dinner. Typically, she would frequently go in a separate space to escape distressing triggers.
She says her sensitivity is worse around people she's most familiar with, so Christmas is always "challenging".
"People assume you to spend time with loved ones, and I wish to, but it's draining.
"I feel as if this intense irritation washes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel anxious and burst into tears and then the stress response will kick in.
"It can come across as if I'm being difficult and dramatic, but it's hard to explain unless you've experienced it."
A Few Techniques to Manage
If it's an issue then there are some different techniques you can use to handle the situation, according to clinical psychologists.
- Imagine Something Else: Imagination is essential. Attempt to link the particular sound bothering you with something completely different. For instance, try to imagine someone's slurping is just a waterfall. By doing this is to retrain your mind that the sound affecting you poses no threat.
- Try a Competition: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a competition involving the source. For example, if someone is eating noisily attempt copying the noise. By joining in, rather than feeling like the sound is unwanted, 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 the reason someone making the noise is doing it. Imagine if someone was making a nasal sound, it could be that they're not in good health or are troubled. By doing this is altering the perception of the sound. While the sound remains identical, your interpretation of it changes from being aggravating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate about it.
