Christmas Can Be a Living Hell for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
One young woman anticipates seeing her relatives during the festive period, but says a key strategy she'll cope is by wearing her hearing protection - especially during the holiday meal.
In her case, this time of year often feels like a notably tough time as the noises of people eating, drinking noisily and breathing heavily cause her profound anxiety.
"I experience this wave of sudden panic, my entire being will just tighten and it feels like I'm in peril, and I need to somehow control these triggers."
She has experienced sound sensitivity from a young age and for her that renders the Christmas time "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to particular auditory triggers, especially noises produced by individuals.
It's surprisingly common across the population. Researchers found a significant portion of people experience it.
Typically it's sounds linked to eating or drinking that cause distress, along with examples such as crunching, heavy breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
Triggering Stress
She explains: "You encounter so many different triggering sounds at the holidays and that can be anxiety inducing and make you want to avoid it.
"Those close to me are aware, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to upset others. It's like a really big battle of managing my symptoms to make sure the event goes smoothly."
So it's obvious why the traditionally happy time of the year can rapidly become a living nightmare for affected individuals.
Sounds that may appear innocuous, like someone drinking champagne, opening presents, or eating the holiday meal can cause a visceral feeling that can even lead to them skipping events entirely.
The student, a young adult, who has dealt with sound sensitivity from childhood, states currently her plan is to put her earphones in to cope. Usually, she would often retreat in a quiet area to escape triggering sounds.
She says her condition is worse around people she's most familiar with, so Christmas is always "difficult".
"There is pressure to be around loved ones, and I want to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"It's like this sudden rage comes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel stressed and begin to weep and then fight-or-flight will kick in.
"To others it appears as if I'm being oversensitive and dramatic, but it's difficult to convey unless you've experienced it."
A Few Techniques to Manage
If you suffer then there are some different techniques you can try to cope the situation, based on advice from clinical psychologists.
- Picture an Alternative: Imagination is key. Attempt to link the particular sound affecting you with a neutral concept. For instance, try to envision someone's slurping is just a sink draining water. By doing this is to teach your brain that the sound affecting you poses no threat.
- Use Humor: Use lightheartedness and turn the annoying sound into a competition involving the source. For example, if someone is crunching loudly have a go at mimicking the sound. By joining in, instead of feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an willing part. And the competition element should help distract your brain and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Develop a Narrative: One more method is to try to invent a reason about the reason someone making the noise is having to make that sound. So if someone was sniffing, perhaps they're not in good health or are troubled. The idea is altering the perception of the sound. Even though the sound remains identical, your reaction of it changes from being aggravating, to feeling a bit more accepting towards it.
