Christmas Can Be a Terrifying Experience for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
One young woman is looking forward to spending time with her family over the holidays, but notes a key strategy she'll manage to get through it is by wearing her earplugs - particularly at the main festive feast.
For the 23-year-old, this time of year is a particularly difficult period as the auditory triggers of people eating, drinking noisily and breathing heavily cause her intense distress.
"I get this feeling of immediate anxiety, my entire being will just tighten and it as though I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to somehow control these sounds."
She has experienced sound sensitivity for several years and for her that causes the holiday period "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to specific noises, notably sounds made by other people.
The condition is widespread across the population. Experts found nearly 20% people are affected by it.
Typically it's noises linked to eating or drinking that lead to discomfort, as well as examples such as chewing, breathing, and pen clicking.
'Anxiety Inducing'
She explains: "I face so many various auditory triggers at the holidays and that can be daunting and make you dread it.
"My family are supportive, 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 guarantee others enjoy themselves."
So it's clear why the supposedly joyous period can rapidly become a source of agony for affected individuals.
Sounds that may seem harmless, like someone drinking champagne, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or eating the holiday meal can cause a visceral feeling that can even cause them withdrawing from gatherings.
Jenna, a 21-year-old student, who has experienced misophonia since aged 10, explains her strategy is to listen to music to manage the meal. Typically, she would usually isolate herself in a quiet area to minimize problematic noises.
She explains her sensitivity is more pronounced around people she's closest to, so the holidays is always "hard".
"There is pressure to socialize with family, and I wish to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"The sensation is this sudden rage takes hold, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel stressed and immediately start crying and then panic will activate.
"To others it appears as if I'm being unreasonable and overreacting, but it's hard to explain unless you've experienced it."
Several Strategies to Handle It
If it's an issue then there are various strategies you can try to cope the situation, according to experts.
- Visualise Something Else: Imagination is essential. Attempt to link the specific noise affecting you with something completely different. For instance, try to envision someone's noisy drinking is just a waterfall. By doing this is to retrain your mind that the sound affecting you is neutral.
- Make it a Game: Introduce playfulness and turn the annoying sound into a game with the culprit. For example, if someone is eating noisily have a go at mimicking the sound. By mimicking, rather than 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.
- Craft a Story: One more method is to try to invent a reason about why the person creating the sound is having to make that sound. For example if someone was making a nasal sound, perhaps they're not in good health or maybe they're upset. This approach is altering the perception of the sound. While the sound stays the same, your understanding of it shifts from being annoying, to feeling a slightly more compassionate towards it.
