Christmas Often Proves to Be a Living Hell for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
One young woman anticipates seeing her loved ones this Christmas, but says a key strategy she'll endure is by relying on her earplugs - particularly at the holiday meal.
For her, Christmas often feels like a notably tough season as the sounds of family members munching, drinking noisily and sniffling cause her extremely uncomfortable.
"There's this feeling of instant dread, my every muscle will just tense up and it feels like I'm in peril, and I need to stop these sounds."
The individual has experienced this condition for several years and for her that makes the Christmas time "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to specific noises, particularly those produced by other people.
The condition is widespread amongst adults. A study discovered nearly 20% people suffer from it.
Typically it's noises associated with eating or drinking that cause distress, including examples such as chewing, breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
Triggering Stress
The sufferer notes: "You encounter so many different triggering sounds at Christmas and that can be anxiety inducing and make you fear it.
"Those close to me are aware, but I'm very aware that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a internal conflict of sacrificing my own sanity to make sure others enjoy themselves."
So it's obvious why the supposedly joyous season can rapidly become a source of agony for affected individuals.
Sounds that may seem harmless, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, opening presents, or eating the holiday meal can cause a visceral feeling that can even cause them skipping events entirely.
She, a young adult, who has experienced misophonia since aged 10, says her strategy is to listen to music to get through dinner. On any other day, she would usually isolate herself in a separate space to minimize triggering sounds.
She explains her sensitivity is more pronounced around people she's most familiar with, so Christmas is always "hard".
"There's an expectation to be around family, and I want to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"I feel as if this intense irritation washes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel stressed and begin to weep and then fight-or-flight will kick in.
"To others it appears as if I'm being unreasonable and melodramatic, but it's tough to describe without firsthand experience."
Several Strategies to Manage
If you suffer then there are some different techniques you can attempt to manage the situation, as suggested by experts.
- Picture an Alternative: Imagination is key. Attempt to link the particular sound affecting you with an unrelated image. As an illustration, try to envision someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. This technique is to retrain your mind that the sound triggering you isn't harmful.
- Use Humor: Introduce playfulness and turn the annoying sound into a competition involving the source. For instance, if someone is eating noisily have a go at copying the noise. By mimicking, rather than feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an active participant. And the game aspect should help redirect your focus and make you a little less affected.
- Develop a Narrative: A further strategy is to try to fabricate an explanation about the reason someone making the noise is doing it. For example if someone was making a nasal sound, perhaps they're not in good health or maybe they're upset. By doing this is re-framing the context of the sound. Even though the noise stays the same, your reaction of it changes from being irritating, to feeling a bit more accepting towards it.
