The Holiday Season Often Proves to Be a Nightmare for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
One young woman anticipates being with her relatives this Christmas, but notes one of the only ways she'll manage to get through it is by wearing her earplugs - notably for the main festive feast.
For her, the holidays can be a especially challenging season as the auditory triggers of family members munching, slurping and nose-blowing cause her intense distress.
"There's this sensation of instant dread, my every muscle will just tense up and it seems as if I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to stop these noises."
She has lived with this condition from a young age and for her that causes the Christmas time "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to certain sounds, particularly those made by individuals.
It is prevalent across the population. Experts discovered a significant portion of people are affected by it.
Typically it's noises linked to bodily functions that trigger a reaction, as well as examples such as crunching, heavy breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
Triggering Stress
The sufferer notes: "I face so many various auditory triggers at Christmas and that can be stressful and make you fear it.
"Those close to me are supportive, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to upset others. It's like a really big battle of managing my symptoms to ensure the event goes smoothly."
So it's clear why the supposedly joyous time of the year can quickly turn into a source of agony for sufferers.
Sounds that may appear innocuous, like someone sipping a beverage, unwrapping gifts, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can provoke a powerful reaction that can even result in them avoiding social settings altogether.
Jenna, a 21-year-old student, who has experienced sound sensitivity since aged 10, explains her strategy is to listen to music to get through dinner. On any other day, she would frequently go in a separate space to escape problematic noises.
She notes her sensitivity is worse around people she's most familiar with, so the holidays is always "hard".
"There's an expectation to spend time with loved ones, and I desire to, but it's draining.
"The sensation is this sudden rage takes hold, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel panicked and immediately start crying and then panic will kick in.
"It can come across as if I'm being unreasonable and overreacting, but it's difficult to convey if you haven't felt it."
A Few Techniques to Handle It
If you suffer then there are some different techniques you can try to cope the situation, as suggested by experts.
- Imagine Something Else: Creative thinking is key. Try to associate the triggering sound causing distress with an unrelated image. So for example, try to picture someone's slurping is just a gentle stream. By doing this is to teach your brain that the sound affecting you isn't harmful.
- Make it a Game: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a challenge with the culprit. For instance, if someone is crunching loudly try mimicking the sound. By joining in, rather than feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an engaged person. And the challenge should help distract your brain and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Create a Scenario: A further strategy is to try to invent a reason about the reason someone making the noise is having to make that sound. So if someone was making a nasal sound, perhaps they're not in good health or maybe they're upset. This approach is altering the perception of the sound. Even though the sound doesn't change, your reaction of it changes from being annoying, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.
