The Holiday Season Transforms Into a Nightmare for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
One young woman is looking forward to spending time with her relatives over the holidays, but admits a key strategy she'll endure is by wearing her earplugs - particularly at the holiday meal.
In her case, Christmas can be a especially challenging season as the noises of people eating, drinking noisily and sniffling make her feel extremely uncomfortable.
"There's this sensation of sudden panic, my every muscle will just tighten and it feels like I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to manage these noises."
She has experienced misophonia since she was 16 and for her that causes the Christmas time "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to specific noises, notably sounds produced by individuals.
It's surprisingly common across the population. A study found almost one in five people suffer from it.
Frequently it's noises linked to eating or drinking that lead to discomfort, including examples such as chewing, heavy breathing, and foot tapping.
'Anxiety Inducing'
The sufferer notes: "There are so many assorted problematic noises at the holidays and that can be anxiety inducing and make you want to avoid it.
"My family are understanding, but I'm very aware that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a internal conflict of sacrificing my own sanity to make sure everyone else is happy."
So it's obvious why the traditionally happy period can transform into a living nightmare for affected individuals.
Triggers that may be considered normal, like someone drinking champagne, unwrapping gifts, or enjoying festive food can trigger a strong emotional response that can even lead to them skipping events entirely.
Jenna, a university student, who has experienced misophonia for over a decade, states her strategy is to use headphones to cope. Typically, she would frequently go in a separate space to minimize triggering sounds.
She says her condition is more pronounced around people she's most comfortable with, so Christmas is always "challenging".
"People assume you to socialize with family, and I desire to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"The sensation is this intense irritation takes hold, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel stressed and burst into tears and then fight-or-flight will kick in.
"To others it appears as if I'm being difficult and overreacting, but it's difficult to convey unless you've experienced it."
Three Ways to Handle It
If it's an issue then there are various strategies you can attempt to manage the situation, based on advice from clinical psychologists.
- Imagine a Different Scenario: Mental imagery is essential. Attempt to link the triggering sound affecting you with something completely different. As an illustration, try to picture someone's slurping is just a gentle stream. By doing this is to help your brain learn that the sound triggering you isn't harmful.
- Use Humor: Have a bit of fun and make the irritating noise into a challenge with the culprit. For instance, if someone is crunching loudly try mimicking the sound. Through participation, instead of feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an active participant. And the challenge should help redirect your focus and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Create a Scenario: A further strategy is to try to invent a reason about the reason someone making the noise is doing it. For example if someone was sniffing, perhaps they're not at their best or maybe they're upset. This approach is changing the meaning of the sound. Even though the noise doesn't change, your reaction of it shifts from being annoying, to feeling a slightly more compassionate about it.
