Christmas Often Proves to Be a Living Hell for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
One young woman hopes for seeing her loved ones during the festive period, but admits a key strategy she'll endure is by using her hearing protection - particularly at the holiday meal.
In her case, Christmas can be a notably tough time as the auditory triggers of other people chewing, sipping loudly and breathing heavily cause her profound anxiety.
"I get this sensation of sudden panic, my whole body will just freeze and it seems as if I'm in danger, and I need to somehow control these noises."
She has experienced this condition for several years and for her that renders the festive season "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to particular auditory triggers, particularly those made by other people.
The condition is widespread amongst adults. Experts found a significant portion of people suffer from it.
Frequently it's sounds linked to mouth, throat or facial movements that lead to discomfort, along with examples such as chewing, breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
'Anxiety Inducing'
The sufferer notes: "I face so many various auditory triggers at Christmas and that can be anxiety inducing and make you want to avoid it.
"My family are aware, but I'm very aware that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a really big battle of enduring my distress to guarantee others enjoy themselves."
So it's easy to understand why the supposedly joyous time of the year can rapidly become a living nightmare for those with the condition.
Sounds that may seem harmless, like someone drinking champagne, opening presents, or eating the holiday meal can cause a powerful reaction that can even cause them skipping events entirely.
She, a 21-year-old student, who has dealt with sound sensitivity since aged 10, states the approach she intends to use is to listen to music to cope. On any other day, she would usually isolate herself in a different room to minimize distressing triggers.
She notes her misophonia is more intense around people she's most familiar with, so the holidays is always "challenging".
"There is pressure to be around loved ones, and I want to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"The sensation is this uncontrollable anger takes hold, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel anxious and immediately start crying and then fight-or-flight will activate.
"To others it appears as if I'm being unreasonable and melodramatic, but it's hard to explain unless you've experienced it."
Three Ways to Manage
If it's an issue then there are various strategies you can try to cope the situation, as suggested by clinical psychologists.
- Visualise a Different Scenario: Creative thinking is key. Work on connecting the triggering sound bothering you with a neutral concept. For instance, try to picture someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. The goal is to help your brain learn that the sound triggering you isn't harmful.
- Use Humor: Use lightheartedness and turn the annoying sound into a game involving the source. As an example, if someone is eating noisily attempt joining in. By mimicking, instead of feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an willing part. And the challenge should help shift your attention and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Develop a Narrative: Another technique is to try to invent a reason about the reason someone creating the sound is behaving that way. For example if someone was sniffing, perhaps they're not in good health or maybe they're upset. The idea is altering the perception of the sound. While the sound doesn't change, your understanding of it moves from being annoying, to feeling a slightly more compassionate about it.
