Yuletide Can Be a Nightmare for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
A 23-year-old is looking forward to being with her family over the holidays, but notes a primary method she'll manage to get through it is by wearing her hearing protection - particularly at Christmas dinner.
For the 23-year-old, this time of year is a especially challenging season as the auditory triggers of people eating, drinking noisily and nose-blowing cause her intense distress.
"I experience this wave of immediate anxiety, my every muscle will just freeze and it seems as if I'm in danger, and I need to manage these noises."
She has lived with sound sensitivity since she was 16 and for her that causes the festive season "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to certain sounds, particularly those made by individuals.
The condition is widespread amongst adults. Experts reported almost one in five people experience it.
Typically it's noises linked to eating or drinking that trigger a reaction, along with things like crunching, breathing, and pen clicking.
'Anxiety Inducing'
The sufferer notes: "There are so many assorted problematic noises at the holidays and that can be daunting and make you fear it.
"My relatives are understanding, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a internal conflict of managing my symptoms to ensure others enjoy themselves."
So it's clear why the traditionally happy season can quickly turn into a source of agony for affected individuals.
Triggers that may be considered normal, like someone sipping a beverage, unwrapping gifts, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can trigger a powerful reaction that can even result in them withdrawing from gatherings.
The student, a university student, who has struggled with sound sensitivity for over a decade, explains her strategy is to listen to music to get through dinner. Usually, she would frequently go in a quiet area to escape problematic noises.
She explains her sensitivity is more intense around people she's most comfortable with, so Christmas is always "hard".
"There's an expectation to be around loved ones, and I wish to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"It's like this uncontrollable anger comes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel anxious and burst into tears and then the stress response will kick in.
"To others it appears as if I'm being oversensitive and overreacting, but it's difficult to convey without firsthand experience."
Three Ways to Cope
If you suffer then there are various strategies you can use to handle the situation, as suggested by clinical psychologists.
- Visualise an Alternative: Imagination is key. Attempt to link the specific noise affecting you with a neutral concept. As an illustration, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. This technique is to help your brain learn that the sound affecting you poses no threat.
- Try a Competition: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a game involving the source. As an example, if someone is crunching loudly try mimicking the sound. By joining in, rather than feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an engaged person. And the challenge should help redirect your focus and make you a little less affected.
- Create a Scenario: One more method is to try to fabricate an explanation about why the person creating the sound is having to make that sound. Imagine if someone was making a nasal sound, maybe they are not feeling well or are troubled. The idea is changing the meaning of the sound. Even though the noise stays the same, your understanding of it changes from being annoying, to feeling a little more neutral towards it.
