Yuletide Transforms Into a Nightmare for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
One young woman anticipates spending time with her loved ones this Christmas, but admits one of the only ways she'll cope is by wearing her hearing protection - especially during Christmas dinner.
For her, the holidays is a notably tough period as the sounds of people eating, slurping and breathing heavily make her feel extremely uncomfortable.
"I get this wave of sudden panic, my whole body will just freeze and it feels like I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to manage these triggers."
She has experienced misophonia for several years and for her that renders the festive season "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to certain sounds, notably sounds made by those around you.
The condition is widespread in the UK. Researchers found nearly 20% people are affected by it.
Typically it's sounds associated with bodily functions that lead to discomfort, as well as things like chewing, breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
Triggering Stress
She explains: "There are so many various auditory triggers at the holidays and that can be daunting and make you fear it.
"Those close to me are supportive, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a really big battle of sacrificing my own sanity to make sure the event goes smoothly."
So it's clear why the supposedly joyous time of the year can rapidly become a source of agony for those with the condition.
Triggers that may appear innocuous, like someone drinking champagne, unwrapping gifts, or eating the holiday meal can cause a visceral feeling that can even cause them withdrawing from gatherings.
Jenna, a university student, who has struggled with sound sensitivity for over a decade, says currently her plan is to put her earphones in to get through dinner. On any other day, she would frequently go in a quiet area to minimize triggering sounds.
She explains her condition is worse around people she's most familiar with, so Christmas is always "difficult".
"There's an expectation to socialize with family, and I want to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"I feel as if this uncontrollable anger takes hold, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel stressed and burst into tears and then fight-or-flight will take over.
"It can come across as if I'm being oversensitive and dramatic, but it's hard to explain unless you've experienced it."
A Few Techniques to Cope
For those affected then there are various strategies you can attempt to manage the situation, based on advice from clinical psychologists.
- Picture an Alternative: Creative thinking is crucial. Work on connecting the specific noise affecting you with something completely different. So for example, try to imagine someone's slurping is just a waterfall. By doing this is to help your brain learn that the sound affecting you isn't harmful.
- Use Humor: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a game with the person. As an example, if someone is eating noisily have a go at joining in. By mimicking, rather than feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an willing part. And the game aspect should help distract your brain and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Develop a Narrative: One more method is to try to create a little story about why the person creating the sound is behaving that way. For example if someone was sniffing, maybe they are not at their best or maybe they're upset. This approach is altering the perception of the sound. While the sound stays the same, your understanding of it moves from being irritating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate about it.
