Yuletide Transforms Into a Nightmare for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
One young woman anticipates being with her loved ones this Christmas, but says one of the only ways she'll manage to get through it is by using her hearing protection - especially during Christmas dinner.
In her case, Christmas can be a especially challenging time as the sounds of other people chewing, drinking noisily and breathing heavily make her feel intense distress.
"I get this wave of instant dread, my entire being will just tighten and it as though I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to manage these noises."
The individual has lived with sound sensitivity from a young age and for her that makes the holiday period "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to particular auditory triggers, particularly those coming from individuals.
The condition is widespread amongst adults. Experts reported a significant portion of people are affected by it.
Frequently it's noises linked to mouth, throat or facial movements that trigger a reaction, along with things like crunching, breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
'Anxiety Inducing'
She explains: "There are so many assorted problematic noises at the holidays and that can be daunting and make you want to avoid it.
"My relatives are aware, but I'm very aware that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a internal conflict of enduring my distress to guarantee everyone else is happy."
So it's easy to understand why the most wonderful period can transform into a living nightmare for affected individuals.
Noises that may appear innocuous, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, opening presents, or eating the holiday meal can trigger a strong emotional response that can even lead to them skipping events entirely.
The student, a university student, who has struggled with sound sensitivity since aged 10, explains currently her plan is to use headphones to manage the meal. Typically, she would frequently go in a quiet area to avoid problematic noises.
She explains her condition is more pronounced around people she's most comfortable with, so Christmas is always "hard".
"There's an expectation to socialize with loved ones, and I wish to, but it's draining.
"It's like this uncontrollable anger washes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel anxious and immediately start crying and then fight-or-flight will take over.
"It may seem as if I'm being oversensitive and overreacting, but it's difficult to convey unless you've experienced it."
A Few Techniques to Handle It
If it's an issue then there are a few methods you can use to handle the situation, based on advice from clinical psychologists.
- Visualise a Different Scenario: Mental imagery is crucial. Work on connecting the specific noise affecting you with something completely different. As an illustration, try to envision someone's slurping is just a sink draining water. By doing this is to teach your brain that the sound triggering you is neutral.
- Make it a Game: Introduce playfulness and turn the annoying sound into a challenge with the person. As an example, if someone is crunching loudly try mimicking the sound. Through participation, instead of feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an engaged person. And the competition element should help distract your brain and make you a little less affected.
- Develop a Narrative: One more method is to try to fabricate an explanation about why the person making the noise is having to make that sound. For example if someone was sniffing, it could be that they're not in good health or could be emotional. This approach is re-framing the context of the sound. Even though the noise remains identical, your understanding of it changes from being annoying, to feeling a slightly more compassionate towards it.
