The Holiday Season Can Be a Living Hell for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
A 23-year-old anticipates seeing her relatives during the festive period, but says a key strategy she'll manage to get through it is by relying on her noise-cancelling devices - notably for the holiday meal.
For her, the holidays can be a especially challenging period as the auditory triggers of people eating, drinking noisily and nose-blowing make her feel extremely uncomfortable.
"I get this feeling of instant dread, my every muscle will just tense up and it as though I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to somehow control these sounds."
She has experienced sound sensitivity from a young age and for her that causes the Christmas time "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to specific noises, especially noises produced by individuals.
It's surprisingly common across the population. A study reported a significant portion of people experience it.
Often it's noises associated with bodily functions that cause distress, as well as examples such as chewing, breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
A Source of Dread
She explains: "I face so many assorted problematic noises at Christmas and that can be anxiety inducing and make you want to avoid it.
"Those close to me are understanding, but I'm very aware that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a constant struggle of managing my symptoms to guarantee others enjoy themselves."
So it's easy to understand why the traditionally happy season can quickly turn into a source of agony for sufferers.
Triggers that may seem harmless, like someone drinking champagne, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can cause a visceral feeling that can even lead to them skipping events entirely.
The student, a university student, who has experienced sound sensitivity from childhood, says the approach she intends to use is to put her earphones in to get through dinner. Typically, she would usually isolate herself in a quiet area to escape distressing triggers.
She explains her sensitivity is more intense around people she's most comfortable with, so the holidays is always "challenging".
"There is pressure to be around family, and I wish to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"The sensation is this intense irritation comes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel anxious and immediately start crying and then panic will activate.
"To others it appears as if I'm being unreasonable and overreacting, but it's difficult to convey if you haven't felt it."
A Few Techniques to Cope
If you suffer then there are some different techniques you can attempt to manage the situation, according to specialists.
- Imagine a Different Scenario: Creative thinking is key. Attempt to link the particular sound causing distress with an unrelated image. So for example, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. By doing this is to retrain your mind that the sound affecting you is neutral.
- Use Humor: Use lightheartedness and turn the annoying sound into a challenge involving the source. As an example, if someone is eating noisily attempt copying the noise. Through participation, instead of feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an active participant. And the challenge should help shift your attention and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Craft a Story: Another technique is to try to invent a reason about why the person creating the sound is having to make that sound. For example if someone was sniffing, it could be that they're not at their best or are troubled. This approach is altering the perception of the sound. Even though the noise doesn't change, your reaction of it moves from being aggravating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate towards it.
