Yuletide Often Proves to Be a Terrifying Experience for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
A 23-year-old anticipates seeing her loved ones this Christmas, but admits a key strategy she'll cope is by relying on her hearing protection - especially during Christmas dinner.
In her case, Christmas is a particularly difficult time as the sounds of family members munching, slurping and breathing heavily cause her extremely uncomfortable.
"I get 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 somehow control these sounds."
The individual has suffered from this condition since she was 16 and for her that causes the festive season "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to specific noises, particularly those produced by those around you.
It is prevalent amongst adults. Experts discovered nearly 20% people are affected by it.
Typically it's noises connected to mouth, throat or facial movements that trigger a reaction, along with examples such as crunching, heavy breathing, and pen clicking.
Triggering Stress
The sufferer notes: "I face so many different triggering sounds at Christmas and that can be daunting and make you fear it.
"My family are supportive, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to upset others. It's like a really big battle of sacrificing my own sanity to ensure everyone else is happy."
So it's clear why the traditionally happy time of the year can rapidly become a source of agony for those with the condition.
Triggers that may appear innocuous, like someone drinking champagne, unwrapping gifts, or enjoying festive food can cause a visceral feeling that can even lead to them skipping events entirely.
She, a university student, who has struggled with misophonia from childhood, states her strategy is to put her earphones in to get through dinner. On any other day, she would often retreat in a quiet area to avoid distressing triggers.
She says her misophonia is worse around people she's most familiar with, so Christmas is always "challenging".
"People assume you to spend time with family, and I wish to, but it's draining.
"I feel as if this uncontrollable anger comes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel stressed and begin to weep and then panic 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."
Three Ways to Manage
If it's an issue then there are some different techniques you can use to handle the situation, according to experts.
- Visualise a Different Scenario: Imagination is crucial. Work on connecting the triggering sound affecting you with an unrelated image. For instance, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. By doing this is to help your brain learn that the sound affecting you is neutral.
- Make it a Game: Use lightheartedness and turn the annoying sound into a challenge involving the source. For instance, if someone is crunching loudly try copying the noise. Through participation, instead of feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an active participant. And the challenge should help distract your brain and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Create a Scenario: A further strategy is to try to create a little story about the reason someone creating the sound is having to make that sound. Imagine if someone was sniffing, maybe they are not feeling well or could be emotional. This approach is altering the perception of the sound. Although the noise remains identical, your understanding of it shifts from being aggravating, to feeling a little more neutral towards it.
