Christmas Often Proves to Be a Nightmare for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
One young woman is looking forward to spending time with her loved ones during the festive period, but notes a key strategy she'll manage to get through it is by relying on her noise-cancelling devices - notably for the holiday meal.
For the 23-year-old, Christmas can be a notably tough time as the auditory triggers of people eating, sipping loudly and sniffling make her feel intense distress.
"I experience this sensation of immediate anxiety, my whole body will just tense up and it feels like I'm in danger, and I need to somehow control these triggers."
She has suffered from misophonia from a young age and for her that makes the holiday period "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to specific noises, notably sounds coming from other people.
It's surprisingly common amongst adults. A study discovered almost one in five people suffer from it.
Frequently it's sounds connected to eating or drinking that lead to discomfort, including examples such as crunching, breathing, and pen clicking.
Triggering Stress
She explains: "I face so many assorted problematic noises at the holidays and that can be stressful and make you want to avoid it.
"My family are supportive, but I'm very aware that I don't want to upset others. It's like a internal conflict of managing my symptoms to ensure everyone else is happy."
So it's clear why the supposedly joyous season can quickly turn into a source of agony for those with the condition.
Triggers that may be considered normal, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, unwrapping gifts, or eating the holiday meal can provoke a visceral feeling that can even lead to them avoiding social settings altogether.
The student, a 21-year-old student, who has struggled with misophonia from childhood, says the approach she intends to use is to use headphones to get through dinner. On any other day, she would usually isolate herself in a separate space to minimize distressing triggers.
She notes her condition is more intense around people she's most comfortable with, so Christmas is always "difficult".
"There is pressure to socialize with family, and I wish to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"It's like this sudden rage takes hold, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel stressed and burst into tears and then panic will kick in.
"It may seem as if I'm being difficult and dramatic, but it's tough to describe if you haven't felt it."
A Few Techniques to Cope
If you suffer then there are various strategies you can try to cope the situation, according to experts.
- Picture an Alternative: Creative thinking is key. Attempt to link the triggering sound causing distress with a neutral concept. So for example, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. This technique is to retrain your mind that the sound triggering you is neutral.
- Try a Competition: Have a bit of fun and turn the annoying sound into a challenge involving the source. For example, if someone is crunching loudly try mimicking the sound. By joining in, rather than feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an engaged person. And the game aspect should help distract your brain and make you a little less affected.
- Develop a Narrative: Another technique is to try to create a little story about the reason someone creating the sound is doing it. Imagine if someone was making a nasal sound, it could be that they're not at their best or are troubled. The idea is re-framing the context of the sound. Even though the noise doesn't change, your understanding of it shifts from being irritating, to feeling a bit more accepting towards it.
