The Holiday Season Can Be a Living Hell for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
A 23-year-old anticipates spending time with her family during the festive period, but admits a key strategy she'll cope is by relying on her earplugs - notably for the main festive feast.
In her case, Christmas is a especially challenging time as the auditory triggers of other people chewing, drinking noisily and sniffling cause her profound anxiety.
"I experience this feeling of immediate anxiety, my whole body will just tighten and it feels like I'm in peril, and I need to somehow control these sounds."
The individual has lived with misophonia for several years and for her that makes the festive season "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to certain sounds, especially noises coming from those around you.
The condition is widespread across the population. A study reported a significant portion of people experience it.
Frequently it's noises connected to bodily functions that trigger a reaction, including things like crunching, heavy breathing, and foot tapping.
A Source of Dread
She explains: "I face so many assorted problematic noises at the holidays and that can be daunting and make you want to avoid it.
"My relatives are understanding, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a constant struggle of managing my symptoms to ensure everyone else is happy."
So it's obvious why the supposedly joyous season can quickly turn into a source of agony for affected individuals.
Sounds that may seem harmless, like someone drinking champagne, opening presents, or eating the holiday meal can trigger a visceral feeling that can even cause them withdrawing from gatherings.
The student, a young adult, who has dealt with sound sensitivity from childhood, says the approach she intends to use is to put her earphones in to cope. On any other day, she would usually isolate herself in a quiet area to escape problematic noises.
She notes her misophonia is worse around people she's most familiar with, so Christmas is always "difficult".
"People assume you to socialize with family, and I want to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"I feel as if this sudden rage washes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel panicked and burst into tears and then panic will kick in.
"It can come across as if I'm being unreasonable and overreacting, but it's hard to explain without firsthand experience."
A Few Techniques to Cope
If it's an issue then there are a few methods you can use to handle the situation, as suggested by clinical psychologists.
- Visualise Something Else: Imagination is key. Work on connecting the particular sound bothering you with a neutral concept. So for example, try to envision someone's slurping is just a waterfall. By doing this is to help your brain learn that the sound affecting you is neutral.
- Make it a Game: Have a bit of fun and make the irritating noise into a game with the person. As an example, if someone is eating noisily try copying the noise. By joining in, rather than feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an engaged person. And the challenge should help redirect your focus and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Craft a Story: One more method is to try to fabricate an explanation about why the person creating the sound is doing it. For example if someone was sniffing, maybe they are not at their best or are troubled. This approach is re-framing the context of the sound. While the noise doesn't change, your reaction of it moves from being annoying, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.
