Christmas Can Be a Nightmare for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
One young woman hopes for being with her relatives during the festive period, but says one of the only ways she'll manage to get through it is by relying on her earplugs - particularly at the holiday meal.
For her, the holidays often feels like a especially challenging season as the noises of family members munching, sipping loudly and nose-blowing trigger extremely uncomfortable.
"There's this sensation of instant dread, my every muscle will just tense up and it as though I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to manage these triggers."
She has experienced misophonia from a young age and for her that renders the holiday period "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to specific noises, notably sounds made by individuals.
It is prevalent across the population. Researchers discovered almost one in five people suffer from it.
Frequently it's noises associated with mouth, throat or facial movements that trigger a reaction, as well as things like chewing, breathing, and foot tapping.
Triggering Stress
The sufferer notes: "There are so many various auditory triggers at Christmas and that can be daunting and make you fear it.
"My relatives are supportive, but I'm very aware that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a really big battle of enduring my distress to make sure everyone else is happy."
So it's easy to understand why the most wonderful time of the year can transform into a living nightmare for those with the condition.
Triggers that may be considered normal, like someone drinking champagne, unwrapping gifts, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can trigger a strong emotional response that can even lead to them skipping events entirely.
The student, a young adult, who has experienced sound sensitivity since aged 10, states her strategy is to listen to music to cope. Typically, she would often retreat in a quiet area to escape triggering sounds.
She says her condition is more pronounced around people she's most comfortable with, so Christmas is always "hard".
"People assume you to spend time with family, and I wish to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"The sensation is this uncontrollable anger takes hold, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel panicked and immediately start crying and then the stress response will kick in.
"It may seem as if I'm being difficult and dramatic, but it's difficult to convey if you haven't felt it."
Three Ways to Manage
For those affected then there are a few methods you can attempt to manage the situation, based on advice from clinical psychologists.
- Picture an Alternative: Mental imagery is crucial. Attempt to link the particular sound bothering you with a neutral concept. As an illustration, try to picture someone's slurping is just a sink draining water. The goal is to teach your brain that the sound triggering you is neutral.
- Use Humor: Have a bit of fun and turn the annoying sound into a competition with the person. For example, if someone is eating noisily have a go at mimicking the sound. By joining in, rather than feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an willing part. And the game aspect should help distract your brain and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Develop a Narrative: A further strategy is to try to invent a reason about the reason someone creating the sound is behaving that way. Imagine if someone was sniffing, it could be that they're not in good health or maybe they're upset. By doing this is altering the perception of the sound. While the noise stays the same, your reaction of it shifts from being aggravating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate towards it.
