The Holiday Season Transforms Into a Nightmare for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
A 23-year-old is looking forward to seeing her loved ones over the holidays, but says a key strategy she'll manage to get through it is by using her hearing protection - notably for Christmas dinner.
For her, the holidays can be a especially challenging time as the noises of other people chewing, sipping loudly and sniffling trigger extremely uncomfortable.
"I experience this feeling of immediate anxiety, my entire being will just tense up and it seems as if I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to stop these sounds."
The individual has lived with this condition since she was 16 and for her that causes the festive season "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to particular auditory triggers, especially noises coming from other people.
It is prevalent across the population. Researchers reported nearly 20% people experience it.
Frequently it's noises associated with bodily functions that trigger a reaction, as well as things like chewing, heavy breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
'Anxiety Inducing'
She explains: "You encounter so many various auditory triggers at Christmas and that can be stressful and make you dread it.
"My relatives are aware, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a constant struggle of managing my symptoms to make sure everyone else is happy."
So it's obvious why the traditionally happy time of the year can rapidly become a stressful ordeal for those with the condition.
Noises that may appear innocuous, like someone drinking champagne, opening presents, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can trigger a powerful reaction that can even lead to them avoiding social settings altogether.
The student, a young adult, who has experienced sound sensitivity since aged 10, says currently her plan is to listen to music to cope. Usually, she would often retreat in a quiet area to minimize triggering sounds.
She notes her condition is more intense around people she's most familiar with, so the holidays is always "hard".
"There is pressure to be around loved ones, and I wish to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"The sensation is this uncontrollable anger takes hold, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel stressed and burst into tears and then panic will activate.
"It can come across as if I'm being unreasonable and overreacting, but it's hard to explain without firsthand experience."
Several Strategies to Cope
If it's an issue then there are various strategies you can try to cope the situation, according to specialists.
- Picture a Different Scenario: Mental imagery is essential. Work on connecting the particular sound bothering you with a neutral concept. So for example, try to imagine someone's slurping is just a gentle stream. The goal is to teach your brain that the sound triggering you is neutral.
- Make it a Game: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a challenge with the culprit. For example, if someone is crunching loudly try mimicking the sound. By joining in, instead of feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an engaged person. And the game aspect should help shift your attention and make you a little less affected.
- Create a Scenario: One more method is to try to invent a reason about the reason someone making the noise is having to make that sound. Imagine if someone was sniffing, perhaps they're not at their best or could be emotional. By doing this is changing the meaning of the sound. Although the noise remains identical, your understanding of it shifts from being annoying, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.
