Yuletide Can Be a Nightmare for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
One young woman hopes for seeing her relatives over the holidays, but notes one of the only ways she'll cope is by relying on her earplugs - notably for the main festive feast.
For her, this time of year is a particularly difficult time as the sounds of family members munching, slurping and nose-blowing trigger intense distress.
"There's this sensation of sudden panic, my entire being will just freeze and it as though I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to somehow control these sounds."
She has experienced misophonia from a young age and for her that causes the holiday period "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to particular auditory triggers, notably sounds made by individuals.
The condition is widespread in the UK. Researchers found nearly 20% people suffer from it.
Typically it's sounds linked to mouth, throat or facial movements that trigger a reaction, including examples such as chewing, heavy breathing, and foot tapping.
'Anxiety Inducing'
The sufferer notes: "There are so many various auditory triggers at the holidays and that can be anxiety inducing and make you want to avoid it.
"Those close to me are supportive, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a internal conflict of sacrificing my own sanity to make sure the event goes smoothly."
So it's clear why the traditionally happy time of the year can transform into a living nightmare for affected individuals.
Noises that may appear innocuous, like someone drinking champagne, opening presents, or eating the holiday meal can provoke a powerful reaction that can even lead to them skipping events entirely.
Jenna, a 21-year-old student, who has experienced misophonia since aged 10, says her strategy is to listen to music to cope. Typically, she would often retreat in a different room to avoid triggering sounds.
She says her sensitivity is worse around people she's closest to, so Christmas is always "challenging".
"There's an expectation to spend time with family, and I wish to, but it's draining.
"The sensation is this uncontrollable anger washes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel stressed and begin to weep and then fight-or-flight will kick in.
"It can come across as if I'm being unreasonable and melodramatic, but it's hard to explain without firsthand experience."
Three Ways to Handle It
If it's an issue then there are some different techniques you can use to handle the situation, based on advice from specialists.
- Visualise an Alternative: Creative thinking is essential. Try to associate the specific noise bothering you with something completely different. As an illustration, try to picture someone's slurping is just a gentle stream. By doing this is to teach your brain that the sound triggering you poses no threat.
- Use Humor: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a challenge involving the source. For instance, if someone is crunching loudly have a go at mimicking the sound. By joining in, 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 slightly more tolerant.
- Develop a Narrative: One more method is to try to create a little story 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 feeling well or maybe they're upset. This approach is altering the perception of the sound. Even though the sound remains identical, your reaction of it moves from being aggravating, to feeling a bit more accepting towards it.
