The Holiday Season Often Proves to Be a Terrifying Experience for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
A 23-year-old hopes for being with her loved ones this Christmas, but admits one of the only ways she'll manage to get through it is by wearing her noise-cancelling devices - notably for the holiday meal.
In her case, the holidays is a particularly difficult season as the sounds of other people chewing, sipping loudly and sniffling cause her extremely uncomfortable.
"I experience this feeling of sudden panic, my every muscle will just freeze and it as though I'm in danger, and I need to manage these sounds."
She has suffered from misophonia from a young age and for her that renders the Christmas time "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to certain sounds, particularly those made by those around you.
It is prevalent in the UK. Experts found almost one in five people are affected by it.
Frequently it's sounds associated with mouth, throat or facial movements that lead to discomfort, along with examples such as crunching, heavy breathing, and foot tapping.
Triggering Stress
The sufferer notes: "You encounter so many various auditory triggers at the holidays and that can be stressful and make you dread it.
"My family are understanding, but I'm very aware that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a really big battle of sacrificing my own sanity to guarantee others enjoy themselves."
So it's clear why the traditionally happy season can quickly turn into a living nightmare for those with the condition.
Triggers that may appear innocuous, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can cause a powerful reaction that can even lead to them skipping events entirely.
The student, a young adult, who has dealt with misophonia since aged 10, says her strategy is to put her earphones in to cope. Usually, she would frequently go in a different room to minimize triggering sounds.
She notes her sensitivity is worse around people she's most familiar with, so Christmas is always "difficult".
"There's an expectation to spend time with loved ones, and I desire to, but it's draining.
"It's like this intense irritation comes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel stressed and burst into tears and then panic will kick in.
"It may seem as if I'm being unreasonable and overreacting, but it's tough to describe without firsthand experience."
Three Ways to Handle It
If you suffer then there are a few methods you can try to cope the situation, according to specialists.
- Imagine Something Else: Imagination is essential. Work on connecting the triggering sound causing distress with an unrelated image. For instance, try to imagine someone's slurping is just a waterfall. The goal is to teach your brain that the sound triggering you is neutral.
- Make it a Game: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a game involving the source. For example, if someone is crunching loudly attempt mimicking the sound. By joining in, rather than feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an active participant. And the game aspect should help distract your brain and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Craft a Story: Another technique is to try to invent a reason about the reason someone creating the sound is doing it. Imagine if someone was making a nasal sound, perhaps they're not in good health or could be emotional. The idea is changing the meaning of the sound. While the noise stays the same, your reaction of it moves from being aggravating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate towards it.
