The Holiday Season Transforms Into a Living Hell for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
One young woman is looking forward to seeing her relatives over the holidays, but admits a primary method she'll endure is by relying on her noise-cancelling devices - particularly at the main festive feast.
In her case, the holidays can be a particularly difficult period as the auditory triggers of family members munching, sipping loudly and breathing heavily make her feel extremely uncomfortable.
"I get this sensation of immediate anxiety, my whole body will just tense up and it as though I'm in danger, and I need to manage these sounds."
The individual has lived with this condition from a young age and for her that causes the Christmas time "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to particular auditory triggers, especially noises coming from individuals.
The condition is widespread in the UK. Experts reported a significant portion of people are affected by it.
Often it's noises connected to bodily functions that trigger a reaction, along with things like crunching, heavy breathing, and foot tapping.
Triggering Stress
She explains: "There are so many assorted problematic noises at Christmas and that can be daunting and make you fear it.
"Those close to me are understanding, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a constant struggle of sacrificing my own sanity to guarantee everyone else is happy."
So it's clear why the supposedly joyous time of the year can transform into a source of agony for sufferers.
Triggers that may be considered normal, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, unwrapping gifts, or eating the holiday meal can provoke a visceral feeling that can even lead to them avoiding social settings altogether.
She, a university student, who has dealt with sound sensitivity since aged 10, says currently her plan is to listen to music to cope. On any other day, she would often retreat in a different room to avoid distressing triggers.
She explains her condition is more pronounced around people she's most comfortable with, so the holidays is always "challenging".
"There's an expectation to socialize with family, and I want to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"The sensation is this intense irritation takes hold, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel stressed and begin to weep and then panic will activate.
"It may seem as if I'm being unreasonable and melodramatic, but it's tough to describe if you haven't felt it."
Several Strategies 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 experts.
- Imagine a Different Scenario: Creative thinking is crucial. Try to associate the particular sound causing distress with a neutral concept. As an illustration, try to envision someone's slurping is just a gentle stream. By doing this is to teach your brain that the sound affecting you isn't harmful.
- Try a Competition: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a competition involving the source. As an example, if someone is crunching loudly have a go at mimicking the sound. By mimicking, instead of feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an engaged person. And the challenge should help distract your brain and make you a little less affected.
- Craft a Story: A further strategy is to try to create a little story about the reason someone creating the sound is doing it. So if someone was making a nasal sound, it could be that they're not feeling well or maybe they're upset. The idea is altering the perception of the sound. While the noise remains identical, your interpretation of it shifts from being irritating, to feeling a bit more accepting towards it.
