Christmas Often Proves to Be a Nightmare for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
One young woman hopes for seeing her family during the festive period, but admits a primary method she'll endure is by wearing her earplugs - especially during the holiday meal.
In her case, Christmas is a especially challenging time as the noises of people eating, slurping and breathing heavily 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 a threatening situation, and I need to somehow control these triggers."
The individual has experienced this condition for several years and for her that causes the holiday period "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to particular auditory triggers, notably sounds produced by other people.
It's surprisingly common in the UK. Researchers reported nearly 20% people are affected by it.
Typically it's noises connected to mouth, throat or facial movements that trigger a reaction, as well as things like chewing, breathing, and pen clicking.
Triggering Stress
Lottie says: "There are so many various auditory triggers at Christmas and that can be anxiety inducing and make you want to avoid it.
"My family are understanding, but I'm very aware that I don't want to upset others. It's like a really big battle of enduring my distress to guarantee the event goes smoothly."
So it's obvious why the supposedly joyous season can quickly turn into a living nightmare for affected individuals.
Sounds that may appear innocuous, like someone sipping a beverage, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or eating the holiday meal can provoke a strong emotional response that can even lead to them withdrawing from gatherings.
She, a university student, who has dealt with misophonia for over a decade, states currently her plan is to put her earphones in to manage the meal. Usually, she would frequently go in a quiet area to minimize triggering sounds.
She notes her misophonia is more intense around people she's most comfortable with, so the holidays is always "difficult".
"There's an expectation to spend time with family, and I desire to, but it's draining.
"It's like this uncontrollable anger takes hold, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel panicked and burst into tears and then the stress response will kick in.
"To others it appears as if I'm being unreasonable and melodramatic, but it's hard to explain if you haven't felt it."
Three Ways to Manage
If it's an issue then there are some different techniques you can attempt to manage the situation, according to specialists.
- Picture a Different Scenario: Imagination is key. Attempt to link the particular sound causing distress with something completely different. As an illustration, try to imagine someone's slurping is just a sink draining water. By doing this is to teach your brain that the sound affecting you poses no threat.
- Make it a Game: Have a bit of fun and make the irritating noise into a game with the culprit. For instance, if someone is crunching loudly have a go at joining in. Through participation, instead of feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an engaged person. And the competition element should help shift your attention and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Create a Scenario: One more method is to try to invent a reason about the reason someone creating the sound is having to make that sound. Imagine if someone was sniffing, perhaps they're not feeling well or are troubled. The idea is re-framing the context of the sound. Even though the sound stays the same, your interpretation of it shifts from being annoying, to feeling a slightly more compassionate about it.
