Yuletide Transforms Into a Nightmare for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
One young woman anticipates spending time with her relatives during the festive period, but notes a key strategy she'll endure is by relying on her noise-cancelling devices - particularly at Christmas dinner.
For the 23-year-old, this time of year is a especially challenging time as the sounds of family members munching, drinking noisily and breathing heavily cause her intense distress.
"There's this wave of sudden panic, my every muscle will just tighten and it feels like I'm in danger, and I need to manage these noises."
The individual has experienced this condition for several years and for her that makes the festive season "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to certain sounds, particularly those produced by other people.
It is prevalent across the population. Experts reported nearly 20% people suffer from it.
Typically it's noises linked to mouth, throat or facial movements that lead to discomfort, as well as examples such as crunching, breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
'Anxiety Inducing'
The sufferer notes: "There are so many assorted problematic noises at Christmas and that can be stressful and make you dread it.
"My family are supportive, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a internal conflict of sacrificing my own sanity to ensure others enjoy themselves."
So it's easy to understand why the traditionally happy period can transform into a stressful ordeal for those with the condition.
Triggers that may appear innocuous, like someone drinking champagne, opening presents, or enjoying festive food can cause a visceral feeling that can even cause them avoiding social settings altogether.
The student, a university student, who has experienced sound sensitivity since aged 10, states her strategy is to put her earphones in to get through dinner. Typically, she would frequently go in a different room to escape problematic noises.
She notes her misophonia is more intense around people she's most comfortable with, so the holidays is always "challenging".
"There is pressure to socialize with family, and I desire to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"The sensation is this intense irritation comes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel panicked and burst into tears and then fight-or-flight will activate.
"It may seem as if I'm being unreasonable and dramatic, but it's hard to explain if you haven't felt it."
A Few Techniques to Manage
If it's an issue then there are various strategies you can attempt to manage the situation, according to specialists.
- Imagine a Different Scenario: Imagination is essential. Attempt to link the specific noise affecting you with an unrelated image. As an illustration, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a waterfall. By doing this is to teach your brain that the sound triggering you poses no threat.
- Use Humor: Have a bit of fun and make the irritating noise into a competition involving the source. For instance, if someone is eating noisily try mimicking the sound. Through participation, instead of feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an engaged person. And the game aspect should help distract your brain and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Create a Scenario: A further strategy is to try to fabricate an explanation about the reason someone creating the sound is having to make that sound. For example if someone was sniffing, maybe they are not in good health or maybe they're upset. By doing this is altering the perception of the sound. While the noise remains identical, your understanding of it changes from being aggravating, to feeling a little more neutral about it.
