Yuletide Transforms Into a Nightmare for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
A 23-year-old hopes for spending time with her relatives over the holidays, but admits a key strategy she'll manage to get through it is by using her noise-cancelling devices - particularly at Christmas dinner.
In her case, this time of year can be a particularly difficult period as the sounds of family members munching, sipping loudly and sniffling trigger profound anxiety.
"There's this feeling of instant dread, my whole body will just tighten and it as though I'm in peril, and I need to stop these noises."
She has lived with this condition from a young age and for her that makes the Christmas time "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to particular auditory triggers, notably sounds produced by other people.
It is prevalent across the population. A study reported nearly 20% people experience it.
Frequently it's noises associated with mouth, throat or facial movements that trigger a reaction, as well as things like crunching, heavy breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
A Source of Dread
The sufferer notes: "There are so many different triggering sounds at the holidays and that can be stressful and make you dread it.
"My relatives are supportive, but I'm very aware that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a internal conflict of sacrificing my own sanity to guarantee everyone else is happy."
So it's easy to understand why the traditionally happy time of the year can quickly turn into a stressful ordeal for those with the condition.
Noises that may seem harmless, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, unwrapping gifts, or eating the holiday meal can trigger a powerful reaction that can even lead to them avoiding social settings altogether.
She, a young adult, who has dealt with sound sensitivity from childhood, states the approach she intends to use is to listen to music to manage the meal. On any other day, she would usually isolate herself in a different room to escape distressing triggers.
She notes her condition is more pronounced around people she's most familiar with, so the holidays is always "challenging".
"People assume you to socialize with loved ones, and I desire to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"I feel as if this intense irritation washes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel stressed and burst into tears and then the stress response will kick in.
"It can come across as if I'm being oversensitive and dramatic, but it's hard to explain if you haven't felt it."
A Few Techniques to Handle It
If you suffer then there are various strategies you can try to cope the situation, according to experts.
- Imagine an Alternative: Mental imagery is crucial. Attempt to link the specific noise affecting you with something completely different. So for example, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. This technique is to teach your brain that the sound triggering you is neutral.
- Use Humor: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a challenge with the person. For example, if someone is crunching loudly have a go at copying the noise. Through participation, instead of feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an willing part. And the challenge should help redirect your focus and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Create a Scenario: A further strategy is to try to fabricate an explanation about why the person making the noise is having to make that sound. So if someone was making a nasal sound, it could be that they're not at their best or could be emotional. This approach is altering the perception of the sound. Although the noise remains identical, your interpretation of it changes from being annoying, to feeling a little more neutral about it.