The Holiday Season Often Proves to Be a Nightmare for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
A 23-year-old anticipates seeing her loved ones this Christmas, but says a key strategy she'll endure is by wearing her hearing protection - particularly at the holiday meal.
For the 23-year-old, the holidays often feels like a notably tough season as the sounds of other people chewing, slurping and nose-blowing cause her extremely uncomfortable.
"I get this feeling of instant dread, my every muscle will just tense up and it feels like I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to manage these noises."
The individual has suffered from this condition since she was 16 and for her that causes the festive season "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to specific noises, notably sounds produced by individuals.
It is prevalent across the population. Experts discovered a significant portion of people suffer from it.
Typically it's sounds connected to eating or drinking that lead to discomfort, along with examples such as crunching, heavy breathing, and foot tapping.
A Source of Dread
She explains: "I face so many assorted problematic noises at Christmas and that can be daunting and make you dread it.
"My relatives are supportive, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a really big battle of enduring my distress to guarantee the event goes smoothly."
So it's clear why the most wonderful season can quickly turn into a source of agony for affected individuals.
Triggers that may seem harmless, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or enjoying festive food can cause a powerful reaction that can even lead to them withdrawing from gatherings.
The student, a 21-year-old student, who has dealt with sound sensitivity for over a decade, says her strategy is to use headphones to manage the meal. On any other day, she would frequently go in a different room to escape distressing triggers.
She says her misophonia is more intense around people she's most comfortable with, so Christmas is always "difficult".
"There is pressure to be around family, and I desire to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"I feel as if this sudden rage washes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel stressed and burst into tears and then the stress response will activate.
"To others it appears as if I'm being unreasonable and melodramatic, but it's tough to describe without firsthand experience."
Three Ways to Handle It
For those affected then there are a few methods you can attempt to manage the situation, as suggested by experts.
- Imagine a Different Scenario: Creative thinking is crucial. Work on connecting the triggering sound causing distress with a neutral concept. So for example, try to picture someone's noisy drinking is just a sink draining water. This technique is to teach your brain that the sound affecting you poses no threat.
- Try a Competition: Have a bit of fun and make the irritating noise into a challenge involving the source. As an example, if someone is eating noisily try copying the noise. Through participation, instead of feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an engaged person. And the challenge should help redirect your focus and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Develop a Narrative: Another technique is to try to fabricate an explanation about the reason someone making the noise is behaving that way. So if someone was sniffing, perhaps they're not feeling well or are troubled. By doing this is changing the meaning of the sound. While the sound stays the same, your understanding of it moves from being aggravating, to feeling a little more neutral towards it.
