Yuletide Transforms Into a Living Hell for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
A 23-year-old hopes for being with her relatives during the festive period, but says one of the only ways she'll cope is by relying on her hearing protection - particularly at the main festive feast.
For the 23-year-old, this time of year often feels like a particularly difficult time as the sounds of other people chewing, sipping loudly and nose-blowing trigger intense distress.
"I get this feeling of sudden panic, my entire being will just freeze and it seems as if I'm in danger, and I need to stop these noises."
She has lived with misophonia for several years and for her that renders the Christmas time "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to certain sounds, especially noises made by those around you.
It's surprisingly common across the population. A study reported a significant portion of people suffer from it.
Frequently it's noises connected to bodily functions that cause distress, along with things like crunching, heavy breathing, and pen clicking.
'Anxiety Inducing'
The sufferer notes: "I face so many assorted problematic noises at Christmas and that can be anxiety inducing and make you dread 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 enduring my distress to ensure everyone else is happy."
So it's clear why the supposedly joyous season can transform into a stressful ordeal for affected individuals.
Noises that may seem harmless, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, opening presents, or eating the holiday meal can trigger a strong emotional response that can even lead to them avoiding social settings altogether.
Jenna, a 21-year-old student, who has dealt with misophonia from childhood, explains currently her plan is to put her earphones in to cope. On any other day, she would usually isolate herself in a different room to avoid distressing triggers.
She explains her misophonia is more pronounced around people she's most comfortable with, so Christmas is always "difficult".
"There's an expectation to spend time with family, and I wish to, but it's draining.
"I feel as if this uncontrollable anger washes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel panicked and burst into tears and then the stress response will kick in.
"It may seem as if I'm being oversensitive and dramatic, but it's hard to explain unless you've experienced it."
Several Strategies to Manage
If it's an issue then there are some different techniques you can use to handle the situation, based on advice from experts.
- Imagine a Different Scenario: Mental imagery is key. Work on connecting the particular sound bothering you with an unrelated image. For instance, try to envision someone's slurping is just a sink draining water. This technique is to retrain your mind that the sound affecting you is neutral.
- Make it a Game: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a competition with the person. As an example, if someone is crunching loudly try copying the noise. Through participation, rather than feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an willing part. And the game aspect should help shift your attention and make you a little less affected.
- Develop a Narrative: One more method is to try to fabricate an explanation about why the person creating the sound is doing it. So if someone was sniffing, maybe they are not at their best or could be emotional. The idea is re-framing the context of the sound. Even though the sound stays the same, your understanding of it moves from being aggravating, to feeling a little more neutral about it.
