The Holiday Season Often Proves to Be a Living Hell for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
A 23-year-old hopes for spending time with her family during the festive period, but says a primary method she'll manage to get through it is by wearing her noise-cancelling devices - notably for the main festive feast.
For her, the holidays can be a particularly difficult time as the auditory triggers of family members munching, sipping loudly and sniffling cause her profound anxiety.
"I experience this sensation of instant dread, my entire being will just freeze and it as though I'm in danger, and I need to stop these noises."
She has experienced sound sensitivity since she was 16 and for her that renders the holiday period "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to certain sounds, especially noises coming from individuals.
It's surprisingly common in the UK. Experts found nearly 20% people suffer from it.
Often it's noises linked to mouth, throat or facial movements that lead to discomfort, as well as examples such as chewing, breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
'Anxiety Inducing'
The sufferer notes: "There are so many different triggering sounds at Christmas and that can be daunting and make you dread it.
"My relatives are aware, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a internal conflict of enduring my distress to guarantee the event goes smoothly."
So it's easy to understand why the traditionally happy period can rapidly become a source of agony for those with the condition.
Sounds that may seem harmless, like someone drinking champagne, unwrapping gifts, or enjoying festive food can provoke a strong emotional response that can even lead to them skipping events entirely.
Jenna, a young adult, who has struggled with misophonia for over a decade, states currently her plan is to use headphones to get through dinner. Typically, she would usually isolate herself in a quiet area to escape distressing triggers.
She explains her misophonia is more intense around people she's closest to, so the holidays is always "hard".
"People assume you to socialize with family, and I wish to, but it's draining.
"It's like this uncontrollable anger takes hold, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel stressed and immediately start crying and then fight-or-flight will take over.
"It can come across as if I'm being unreasonable and dramatic, but it's difficult to convey if you haven't felt it."
A Few Techniques to Handle It
For those affected then there are a few methods you can use to handle the situation, as suggested by clinical psychologists.
- Visualise Something Else: Creative thinking is crucial. Attempt to link the particular sound bothering you with a neutral concept. For instance, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. The goal is to retrain your mind that the sound affecting you is neutral.
- Try a Competition: Use lightheartedness and make the irritating noise into a game with the person. As an example, if someone is eating noisily 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 game aspect should help distract your brain and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Develop a Narrative: A further strategy is to try to create a little story about why the person making the noise is behaving that way. So if someone was sniffing, it could be that they're not at their best or maybe they're upset. The idea is re-framing the context of the sound. While the sound doesn't change, your interpretation of it changes from being aggravating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate towards it.
