The Holiday Season Often Proves to Be a Nightmare for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
One young woman anticipates spending time with her relatives during the festive period, but says one of the only ways she'll manage to get through it is by relying on her earplugs - notably for Christmas dinner.
In her case, this time of year often feels like a notably tough season as the noises of other people chewing, drinking noisily and breathing heavily make her feel extremely uncomfortable.
"There's this sensation of sudden panic, my entire being will just freeze and it feels like I'm in danger, and I need to manage these sounds."
The individual has lived with misophonia for several years and for her that causes the holiday period "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to specific noises, notably sounds made by those around you.
It is prevalent amongst adults. Experts discovered almost one in five people suffer from it.
Typically it's sounds associated with bodily functions that cause distress, along with things like crunching, heavy breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
'Anxiety Inducing'
The sufferer notes: "I face so many different triggering sounds at Christmas and that can be daunting and make you dread it.
"My relatives are understanding, but I'm very aware that I don't want to upset others. It's like a constant struggle of managing my symptoms to ensure others enjoy themselves."
So it's obvious why the traditionally happy period can rapidly become a stressful ordeal for those with the condition.
Sounds that may be considered normal, like someone sipping a beverage, unwrapping gifts, or enjoying festive food can provoke a strong emotional response that can even result in them avoiding social settings altogether.
She, a young adult, who has experienced misophonia for over a decade, states the approach she intends to use is to use headphones to cope. Usually, she would often retreat in a different room to avoid problematic noises.
She notes her misophonia is more pronounced around people she's closest to, so Christmas is always "hard".
"There's an expectation to socialize with family, and I wish to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"It's like this intense irritation washes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel anxious and immediately start crying and then the stress response will activate.
"It can come across as if I'm being oversensitive and melodramatic, but it's tough to describe unless you've experienced it."
Three Ways to Cope
If it's an issue then there are some different techniques you can try to cope the situation, based on advice from specialists.
- Imagine a Different Scenario: Imagination is essential. Work on connecting the specific noise affecting you with an unrelated image. So for example, try to envision someone's slurping is just a sink draining water. The goal is to teach your brain that the sound affecting you poses no threat.
- Make it a Game: Have a bit of fun and make the irritating noise into a competition with the culprit. As an example, if someone is eating noisily try copying the noise. Through participation, instead of feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an engaged person. And the competition element should help redirect your focus and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Craft a Story: One more method is to try to create a little story about why the person creating the sound is doing it. For example if someone was sniffing, maybe they are not in good health or are troubled. This approach is re-framing the context of the sound. Even though the noise stays the same, your interpretation of it shifts from being aggravating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate towards it.