The Holiday Season Transforms Into a Terrifying Experience for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
A 23-year-old anticipates being with her family over the holidays, but notes a primary method she'll manage to get through it is by using her hearing protection - particularly at the holiday meal.
For her, the holidays is a particularly difficult time as the noises of people eating, drinking noisily and breathing heavily trigger extremely uncomfortable.
"There's this sensation of immediate anxiety, my entire being will just tense up and it seems as if I'm in peril, and I need to somehow control these triggers."
The individual has experienced misophonia for several years and for her that renders the holiday period "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to particular auditory triggers, particularly those made by other people.
It is prevalent in the UK. A study discovered nearly 20% people are affected by it.
Often it's noises linked to mouth, throat or facial movements that cause distress, as well as things like crunching, heavy breathing, and pen clicking.
A Source of Dread
She explains: "There are so many assorted problematic noises at Christmas and that can be daunting and make you fear it.
"My relatives are understanding, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a internal conflict of enduring my distress to guarantee everyone else is happy."
So it's obvious why the most wonderful season can quickly turn into a source of agony for those with the condition.
Sounds that may be considered normal, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or enjoying festive food can provoke a powerful reaction that can even lead to them skipping events entirely.
Jenna, a young adult, who has struggled with sound sensitivity since aged 10, explains the approach she intends to use is to listen to music to cope. Typically, she would usually isolate herself in a different room to avoid distressing triggers.
She explains her condition is more pronounced around people she's most comfortable with, so the holidays is always "difficult".
"People assume you to socialize with loved ones, and I want to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"I feel as if this intense irritation comes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel panicked and immediately start crying and then the stress response will take over.
"It may seem as if I'm being unreasonable and overreacting, but it's difficult to convey unless you've experienced it."
A Few Techniques to Manage
If you suffer then there are a few methods you can use to handle the situation, based on advice from clinical psychologists.
- Visualise an Alternative: Imagination is crucial. Work on connecting the triggering sound causing distress with something completely different. So for example, try to picture someone's noisy drinking is just a waterfall. The goal is to help your brain learn that the sound triggering you poses no threat.
- Make it a Game: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a challenge with the culprit. As an example, if someone is eating noisily have a go at copying the noise. By joining in, rather than feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an active participant. And the challenge should help shift your attention and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Craft a Story: One more method is to try to create a little story about why the person creating the sound is behaving that way. So if someone was making a nasal sound, maybe they are not at their best or are troubled. The idea is changing the meaning of the sound. While the noise doesn't change, your interpretation of it changes from being aggravating, to feeling a little more neutral about it.
