Christmas Transforms Into a Living Hell for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
One young woman is looking forward to being with her family over the holidays, but notes a primary method she'll endure is by relying on her noise-cancelling devices - particularly at Christmas dinner.
For her, this time of year is a notably tough season as the auditory triggers of family members munching, sipping loudly and breathing heavily make her feel extremely uncomfortable.
"There's this sensation of sudden panic, my entire being will just tense up and it feels like I'm in danger, and I need to somehow control these sounds."
The individual has experienced misophonia since she was 16 and for her that makes the festive season "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to specific noises, especially noises made by those around you.
It is prevalent in the UK. Experts discovered almost one in five people suffer from it.
Frequently it's sounds connected to bodily functions that cause distress, including examples such as chewing, breathing, and foot tapping.
A Source of Dread
Lottie says: "I face so many different triggering sounds at Christmas and that can be anxiety inducing and make you want to avoid it.
"Those close to me are understanding, but I'm very aware that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a internal conflict of enduring my distress to ensure others enjoy themselves."
So it's clear why the most wonderful period can transform into a living nightmare for those with the condition.
Sounds that may seem harmless, like someone sipping a beverage, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or enjoying festive food can trigger a strong emotional response that can even cause them avoiding social settings altogether.
Jenna, a young adult, who has experienced misophonia for over a decade, states the approach she intends to use is to listen to music to get through dinner. Usually, she would often retreat in a different room to avoid distressing triggers.
She says her misophonia is more intense around people she's most familiar with, so the holidays is always "hard".
"There's an expectation to be around family, and I want to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"I feel as if this uncontrollable anger washes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel anxious and burst into tears and then fight-or-flight will take over.
"To others it appears as if I'm being difficult and melodramatic, but it's tough to describe unless you've experienced it."
Several Strategies to Cope
If you suffer then there are some different techniques you can use to handle the situation, as suggested by clinical psychologists.
- Picture Something Else: Imagination is key. Try to associate the specific noise bothering you with something completely different. As an illustration, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. The goal is to retrain your mind that the sound triggering you is neutral.
- Try a Competition: Use lightheartedness and turn the annoying sound into a competition with the person. For example, if someone is eating noisily try copying the noise. Through participation, rather than feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an engaged person. And the competition element should help distract your brain and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Craft a Story: Another technique is to try to fabricate an explanation about why the person creating the sound is behaving that way. Imagine if someone was sniffing, perhaps they're not feeling well or are troubled. The idea is re-framing the context of the sound. Even though the sound remains identical, your understanding of it moves from being aggravating, to feeling a little more neutral about it.
