Yuletide Can Be a Nightmare for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
A 23-year-old anticipates seeing her relatives over the holidays, but notes a key strategy she'll manage to get through it is by relying on her earplugs - particularly at the holiday meal.
For the 23-year-old, this time of year is a notably tough time as the noises of family members munching, drinking noisily and sniffling make her feel extremely uncomfortable.
"I experience this feeling of instant dread, my whole body will just tense up and it seems as if I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to somehow control these triggers."
She has suffered from sound sensitivity since she was 16 and for her that causes the holiday period "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to particular auditory triggers, particularly those made by individuals.
It is prevalent across the population. Researchers discovered almost one in five people suffer from it.
Often it's noises connected to bodily functions that lead to discomfort, as well as examples such as chewing, breathing, and pen clicking.
Triggering Stress
She explains: "You encounter so many assorted problematic noises at Christmas and that can be stressful and make you want to avoid it.
"My relatives are understanding, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a internal conflict of enduring my distress to guarantee everyone else is happy."
So it's obvious why the supposedly joyous period can rapidly become a living nightmare for those with the condition.
Noises that may be considered normal, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, opening presents, or eating the holiday meal can cause a visceral feeling that can even result in them withdrawing from gatherings.
The student, a university student, who has experienced sound sensitivity since aged 10, explains currently her plan is to use headphones to get through dinner. On any other day, she would usually isolate herself in a different room to escape distressing triggers.
She explains her misophonia is more intense around people she's most comfortable with, so the holidays is always "challenging".
"People assume you to socialize with family, and I wish to, but it's draining.
"It's like this intense irritation washes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel panicked and immediately start crying and then fight-or-flight will take over.
"It can come across as if I'm being difficult and dramatic, but it's difficult to convey unless you've experienced it."
A Few Techniques to Manage
If it's an issue then there are some different techniques you can try to cope the situation, as suggested by specialists.
- Imagine Something Else: Mental imagery is key. Try to associate the particular sound causing distress with a neutral concept. As an illustration, try to envision someone's noisy drinking is just a sink draining water. By doing this is to teach your brain that the sound affecting you is neutral.
- Use Humor: Introduce playfulness and turn the annoying sound into a game with the culprit. As an example, if someone is eating noisily attempt joining in. Through participation, rather than feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an active participant. And the competition element should help distract your brain and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Craft a Story: One more method is to try to create a little story about why the person making the noise is doing it. Imagine if someone was making a nasal sound, maybe they are not feeling well or could be emotional. By doing this is altering the perception of the sound. While the noise stays the same, your reaction of it moves from being annoying, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.
