Yuletide Transforms Into a Living Hell for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
One young woman hopes for being with her family over the holidays, but says a primary method she'll endure is by wearing her earplugs - especially during Christmas dinner.
In her case, this time of year can be a notably tough period as the auditory triggers of other people chewing, sipping loudly and sniffling cause her profound anxiety.
"I experience this sensation of instant dread, my every muscle will just tense up and it seems as if I'm in peril, and I need to somehow control these noises."
The individual has experienced sound sensitivity from a young age and for her that renders the Christmas time "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to particular auditory triggers, particularly those produced by individuals.
It's surprisingly common across the population. Experts found a significant portion of people are affected by it.
Often it's noises linked to eating or drinking that trigger a reaction, as well as examples such as crunching, breathing, and pen clicking.
Triggering Stress
She explains: "I face so many assorted problematic noises at the holidays and that can be stressful and make you fear it.
"My relatives are understanding, but I'm very aware that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a really big battle of managing my symptoms to guarantee the event goes smoothly."
So it's easy to understand why the traditionally happy time of the year can quickly turn into a living nightmare for affected individuals.
Noises that may appear innocuous, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, unwrapping gifts, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can provoke a strong emotional response that can even cause them skipping events entirely.
Jenna, a young adult, who has experienced misophonia since aged 10, explains the approach she intends to use is to use headphones to cope. Typically, she would usually isolate herself in a different room to escape distressing triggers.
She notes her sensitivity is more pronounced around people she's most familiar with, so the holidays is always "hard".
"People assume you to socialize with family, and I desire to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"The sensation is this intense irritation takes hold, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel panicked and begin to weep and then panic will activate.
"It may seem as if I'm being unreasonable and dramatic, but it's tough to describe without firsthand experience."
Several Strategies to Cope
If you suffer then there are various strategies you can use to handle the situation, based on advice from specialists.
- Imagine Something Else: Mental imagery is crucial. Try to associate the specific noise causing distress with a neutral concept. So for example, try to envision someone's slurping is just a waterfall. By doing this is to teach your brain that the sound affecting you isn't harmful.
- Use Humor: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a competition with the person. As an example, if someone is crunching loudly have a go at joining in. By mimicking, instead of feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an active participant. And the game aspect should help redirect your focus and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Develop a Narrative: One more method is to try to create a little story about why the person making the noise is having to make that sound. So if someone was sniffing, it could be that they're not at their best or maybe they're upset. This approach is changing the meaning of the sound. Although the sound doesn't change, your understanding of it moves from being irritating, to feeling a little more neutral towards it.
