The Holiday Season Often Proves to Be a Nightmare for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
One young woman is looking forward to being with her family over the holidays, but admits a key strategy she'll manage to get through it is by using her noise-cancelling devices - particularly at the holiday meal.
In her case, Christmas can be a especially challenging time as the noises of people eating, sipping loudly and sniffling trigger profound anxiety.
"I experience this wave of instant dread, my whole body will just tense up and it as though I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to manage these sounds."
She has suffered from sound sensitivity from a young age and for her that makes the Christmas time "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to certain sounds, particularly those produced by individuals.
The condition is widespread across the population. A study discovered almost one in five people experience it.
Typically it's noises connected to eating or drinking that cause distress, along with examples such as chewing, heavy breathing, and foot tapping.
'Anxiety Inducing'
She explains: "I face so many different triggering sounds at the holidays and that can be anxiety inducing and make you fear it.
"My family are supportive, but I'm very aware that I don't want to upset others. It's like a really big battle of enduring my distress to ensure the event goes smoothly."
So it's obvious why the supposedly joyous time of the year can transform into a living nightmare for affected individuals.
Noises that may appear innocuous, like someone sipping a beverage, unwrapping gifts, or enjoying festive food can cause a strong emotional response that can even result in them withdrawing from gatherings.
Jenna, a 21-year-old student, who has dealt with sound sensitivity since aged 10, explains the approach she intends to use is to use headphones to get through dinner. Typically, she would often retreat in a separate space to escape triggering sounds.
She says her misophonia is more intense around people she's most comfortable with, so the holidays is always "hard".
"There is pressure to spend time with family, and I want to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"I feel as if this uncontrollable anger washes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel anxious and immediately start crying and then fight-or-flight will activate.
"To others it appears as if I'm being oversensitive and dramatic, but it's difficult to convey unless you've experienced it."
Three Ways to Manage
If it's an issue then there are some different techniques you can try to cope the situation, as suggested by experts.
- Imagine Something Else: Creative thinking is key. Work on connecting the specific noise bothering you with an unrelated image. For instance, try to envision someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. The goal is to retrain your mind that the sound triggering you poses no threat.
- Try a Competition: Have a bit of fun and turn the annoying sound into a game with the person. As an example, if someone is crunching loudly try mimicking the sound. 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 fabricate an explanation about why the person making the noise is doing it. For example if someone was sniffing, it could be that they're not feeling well or are troubled. The idea is altering the perception of the sound. Although the noise stays the same, your interpretation of it changes from being annoying, to feeling a slightly more compassionate towards it.
