The Holiday Season Often Proves to Be a Terrifying Experience for Those with Misophonia.
One young woman is looking forward to being with her relatives during the festive period, but says a key strategy she'll manage to get through it is by wearing her noise-cancelling devices - especially during the main festive feast.
For the 23-year-old, the holidays often feels like a particularly difficult season as the noises of people eating, drinking noisily and nose-blowing make her feel extremely uncomfortable.
"I get this sensation of sudden panic, my whole body will just freeze and it seems as if I'm in danger, and I need to somehow control these noises."
She has suffered from sound sensitivity from a young age and for her that makes the festive season "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to particular auditory triggers, especially noises produced by other people.
It's surprisingly common across the population. A study reported a significant portion of people suffer from it.
Frequently it's noises associated with mouth, throat or facial movements that cause distress, as well as examples such as chewing, breathing, and foot tapping.
Triggering Stress
The sufferer notes: "There are so many different triggering sounds at Christmas 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 spoil the mood. It's like a constant struggle of sacrificing my own sanity to make sure others enjoy themselves."
So it's obvious why the traditionally happy time of the year can transform into a living nightmare for sufferers.
Sounds that may be considered normal, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, opening presents, or eating the holiday meal can trigger a strong emotional response that can even lead to them skipping events entirely.
Jenna, a young adult, who has experienced sound sensitivity since aged 10, states currently her plan is to listen to music to manage the meal. Typically, she would usually isolate herself in a separate space to minimize distressing triggers.
She says her sensitivity is more intense around people she's most familiar with, so Christmas is always "difficult".
"There is pressure to socialize with family, and I want to, but it's draining.
"I feel as if this intense irritation takes hold, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel anxious and burst into tears and then panic will activate.
"It may seem as if I'm being unreasonable and dramatic, but it's tough to describe without firsthand experience."
Three Ways to Handle It
If it's an issue then there are a few methods you can attempt to manage the situation, based on advice from clinical psychologists.
- Picture an Alternative: Creative thinking is essential. Try to associate the particular sound bothering you with an unrelated image. For instance, try to picture someone's slurping is just a waterfall. This technique is to help your brain learn that the sound affecting you is neutral.
- Make it a Game: Introduce playfulness and turn the annoying sound into a competition with the person. For instance, if someone is crunching loudly have a go at copying the noise. By mimicking, instead of feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an willing part. And the game aspect should help redirect your focus and make you a little less affected.
- Develop a Narrative: A further strategy is to try to fabricate an explanation about the reason someone making the noise is behaving that way. Imagine if someone was sniffing, maybe they are not in good health or are troubled. By doing this is altering the perception of the sound. Although the sound doesn't change, your reaction of it changes from being annoying, to feeling a little more neutral about it.
