The Holiday Season Transforms Into a Nightmare for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
A 23-year-old is looking forward to seeing her loved ones over the holidays, but notes one of the only ways she'll endure is by wearing her hearing protection - particularly at the main festive feast.
In her case, Christmas is a particularly difficult time as the noises of people eating, sipping loudly and breathing heavily cause her profound anxiety.
"I get this feeling of immediate anxiety, my whole body will just tighten and it seems as if I'm in danger, and I need to somehow control these sounds."
She has lived with this condition for several years and for her that renders the festive season "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to certain sounds, especially noises made by other people.
It is prevalent across the population. Experts found nearly 20% people experience it.
Often it's noises associated with mouth, throat or facial movements that lead to discomfort, along with examples such as crunching, heavy breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
Triggering Stress
The sufferer notes: "There are so many assorted problematic noises at the holidays and that can be stressful and make you dread it.
"Those close to me are understanding, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a internal conflict of managing my symptoms to ensure everyone else is happy."
So it's easy to understand why the most wonderful period can quickly turn into a source of agony for affected individuals.
Noises that may seem harmless, like someone drinking champagne, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or eating the holiday meal can provoke a powerful reaction that can even result in them withdrawing from gatherings.
She, a young adult, who has experienced misophonia since aged 10, states the approach she intends to use is to put her earphones in to get through dinner. Typically, she would usually isolate herself in a different room to minimize triggering sounds.
She explains her misophonia is worse around people she's most familiar with, so Christmas is always "challenging".
"People assume you to be around loved ones, and I desire to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"It's like this sudden rage comes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel anxious and begin to weep and then fight-or-flight will take over.
"It may seem as if I'm being oversensitive and overreacting, but it's difficult to convey unless you've experienced it."
Several Strategies to Cope
If it's an issue then there are some different techniques you can use to handle the situation, based on advice from specialists.
- Imagine a Different Scenario: Mental imagery is key. Try to associate the particular sound causing distress with an unrelated image. For instance, try to picture someone's slurping is just a gentle stream. The goal is to help your brain learn that the sound affecting you poses no threat.
- Try a Competition: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a competition involving the source. As an example, if someone is crunching loudly attempt copying the noise. Through participation, instead of feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an active participant. And the game aspect should help shift your attention and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Create a Scenario: One more method is to try to create a little story about why the person creating the sound is behaving that way. So if someone was sniffing, perhaps they're not at their best or are troubled. The idea is re-framing the context of the sound. Even though the noise stays the same, your reaction of it shifts from being aggravating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate towards it.
