Christmas Transforms Into a Living Hell for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
One young woman anticipates spending time with her relatives over the holidays, but notes a key strategy she'll manage to get through it is by using her hearing protection - especially during the holiday meal.
For her, this time of year is a particularly difficult period as the noises of other people chewing, slurping and nose-blowing trigger intense distress.
"I get this feeling of immediate anxiety, my every muscle will just freeze and it seems as if I'm in peril, and I need to stop these noises."
She has experienced this condition for several years and for her that makes the holiday period "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to particular auditory triggers, particularly those coming from other people.
It is prevalent amongst adults. A study reported nearly 20% people suffer from it.
Typically it's noises associated with mouth, throat or facial movements that lead to discomfort, as well as things like crunching, breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
A Source of Dread
Lottie says: "You encounter so many assorted problematic noises at Christmas and that can be daunting and make you want to avoid it.
"My family are understanding, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a really big battle of sacrificing my own sanity to ensure others enjoy themselves."
So it's obvious why the supposedly joyous season can quickly turn into a living nightmare for sufferers.
Triggers that may appear innocuous, like someone drinking champagne, opening presents, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can trigger a strong emotional response that can even result in them skipping events entirely.
The student, a young adult, who has struggled with misophonia from childhood, states the approach she intends to use is to listen to music to manage the meal. Usually, she would usually isolate herself in a quiet area to avoid distressing triggers.
She says her misophonia is more intense around people she's most comfortable with, so the holidays is always "difficult".
"People assume you to spend time with family, and I desire to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"I feel as if this sudden rage takes hold, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel panicked and burst into tears and then the stress response will activate.
"It can come across as if I'm being oversensitive and melodramatic, but it's difficult to convey if you haven't felt it."
Several Strategies to Handle It
If you suffer then there are a few methods you can try to cope the situation, according to experts.
- Picture Something Else: Imagination is crucial. Attempt to link the triggering sound bothering you with an unrelated image. As an illustration, try to picture someone's noisy drinking is just a waterfall. The goal is to teach your brain that the sound affecting you poses no threat.
- Try a Competition: Use lightheartedness and make the irritating noise into a competition with the person. For instance, if someone is crunching loudly try mimicking the sound. By joining in, instead of feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an engaged person. And the competition element should help redirect your focus and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Develop a Narrative: A further strategy is to try to fabricate an explanation about why the person creating the sound is behaving that way. For example if someone was making a nasal sound, it could be that they're not in good health or maybe they're upset. This approach is re-framing the context of the sound. While the sound doesn't change, your understanding of it shifts from being aggravating, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.
