Christmas Transforms Into a Living Hell for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
A 23-year-old hopes for spending time with her loved ones over the holidays, but says a primary method she'll cope is by using her noise-cancelling devices - particularly at the main festive feast.
In her case, this time of year can be a notably tough season as the noises of other people chewing, slurping and sniffling trigger profound anxiety.
"There's this sensation of instant dread, my every muscle will just tighten and it as though I'm in danger, and I need to stop these triggers."
The individual has lived with this condition since she was 16 and for her that causes the holiday period "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to particular auditory triggers, notably sounds coming from individuals.
It is prevalent amongst adults. A study discovered nearly 20% people experience it.
Often it's noises linked to bodily functions that cause distress, including examples such as crunching, breathing, and pen clicking.
A Source of Dread
She explains: "There are so many different triggering sounds at Christmas and that can be anxiety inducing and make you fear it.
"My relatives are understanding, but I'm very aware that I don't want to upset others. It's like a constant struggle of enduring my distress to guarantee everyone else is happy."
So it's obvious why the supposedly joyous period can rapidly become a living nightmare for those with the condition.
Noises that may seem harmless, like someone drinking champagne, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can cause a powerful reaction that can even result in them skipping events entirely.
The student, a 21-year-old student, who has dealt with misophonia since aged 10, states the approach she intends to use is to use headphones to cope. Usually, she would often retreat in a separate space to avoid triggering sounds.
She explains her misophonia is more intense around people she's closest to, so Christmas is always "hard".
"People assume you to socialize with family, and I wish to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"I feel as if this uncontrollable anger washes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel panicked and begin to weep and then the stress response will take over.
"It may seem as if I'm being unreasonable and melodramatic, but it's tough to describe if you haven't felt it."
A Few Techniques to Manage
If you suffer then there are some different techniques you can attempt to manage the situation, according to specialists.
- Imagine Something Else: Mental imagery is key. Work on connecting the specific noise bothering you with an unrelated image. For instance, try to envision someone's slurping is just a sink draining water. This technique is to help your brain learn that the sound triggering you isn't harmful.
- Try a Competition: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a challenge with the person. For example, if someone is eating noisily attempt mimicking the sound. By joining in, instead of feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an willing part. And the challenge should help shift your attention and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Develop a Narrative: A further strategy is to try to fabricate an explanation about the reason someone creating the sound is doing it. Imagine if someone was making a nasal sound, it could be that they're not in good health or maybe they're upset. The idea is changing the meaning of the sound. Even though the noise stays the same, your understanding of it shifts from being annoying, to feeling a little more neutral about it.
