The Holiday Season Transforms Into a Terrifying Experience for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
A 23-year-old is looking forward to seeing her family during the festive period, but notes a key strategy she'll endure is by using her hearing protection - especially during the holiday meal.
For the 23-year-old, the holidays often feels like a especially challenging season as the sounds of other people chewing, drinking noisily and sniffling trigger intense distress.
"I get this wave of sudden panic, my every muscle will just freeze and it as though I'm in danger, and I need to stop these sounds."
The individual has suffered from misophonia since she was 16 and for her that makes the Christmas time "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to specific noises, particularly those made by individuals.
It is prevalent across the population. Experts reported almost one in five people experience it.
Often it's sounds linked to bodily functions that trigger a reaction, along with things like chewing, breathing, and foot tapping.
Triggering Stress
The sufferer notes: "I face so many various auditory triggers at Christmas and that can be anxiety inducing and make you dread it.
"Those close to me are aware, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a constant struggle of enduring my distress to make sure everyone else is happy."
So it's obvious why the traditionally happy time of the year can transform into a source of agony for those with the condition.
Noises that may seem harmless, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, unwrapping gifts, or enjoying festive food can trigger a visceral feeling that can even lead to them avoiding social settings altogether.
Jenna, a young adult, who has dealt with sound sensitivity for over a decade, explains her strategy is to use headphones to get through dinner. Usually, she would often retreat in a separate space to minimize problematic noises.
She says her sensitivity is more pronounced around people she's most familiar with, so the holidays is always "hard".
"There's an expectation to socialize with loved ones, and I wish to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"The sensation is this sudden rage takes hold, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel anxious and burst into tears and then fight-or-flight will take over.
"It may seem as if I'm being oversensitive and melodramatic, but it's tough to describe without firsthand experience."
Three Ways to Manage
If you suffer then there are various strategies you can use to handle the situation, based on advice from clinical psychologists.
- Visualise an Alternative: Mental imagery is key. Attempt to link the specific noise bothering you with a neutral concept. For instance, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. The goal is to teach your brain that the sound affecting you isn't harmful.
- Try a Competition: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a challenge with the culprit. For example, if someone is eating noisily try copying the noise. By joining in, instead of feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an engaged person. And the game aspect should help shift your attention 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 doing it. Imagine if someone was sniffing, it could be that they're not feeling well or maybe they're upset. This approach is altering the perception of the sound. Even though the sound doesn't change, your interpretation of it shifts from being annoying, to feeling a little more neutral about it.
