Yuletide Transforms Into a Terrifying Experience for Misophonia Sufferers.
One young woman hopes for being with her loved ones over the holidays, but admits a key strategy she'll cope is by using her hearing protection - especially during the main festive feast.
For her, Christmas can be a particularly difficult time as the auditory triggers of people eating, sipping loudly and sniffling cause her intense distress.
"There's this sensation of sudden panic, my every muscle will just tighten and it feels like I'm in peril, and I need to manage these triggers."
The individual has lived with sound sensitivity for several years and for her that makes the holiday period "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to specific noises, notably sounds produced by those around you.
The condition is widespread across the population. Experts discovered a significant portion of people are affected by it.
Often it's sounds associated with mouth, throat or facial movements that lead to discomfort, along with things like chewing, breathing, and foot tapping.
Triggering Stress
Lottie says: "You encounter so many different triggering sounds at Christmas and that can be stressful and make you fear it.
"Those close to me are aware, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to upset others. It's like a really big battle 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 stressful ordeal for those with the condition.
Sounds that may appear innocuous, like someone sipping a beverage, opening presents, or eating the holiday meal can cause a visceral feeling that can even cause them avoiding social settings altogether.
Jenna, a university student, who has dealt with sound sensitivity since aged 10, explains currently her plan is to use headphones to cope. On any other day, she would usually isolate herself in a quiet area to avoid triggering sounds.
She notes her condition is worse around people she's most familiar with, so Christmas is always "hard".
"People assume you to spend time with family, and I want to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"The sensation is this uncontrollable anger takes hold, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel anxious and immediately start crying and then fight-or-flight will activate.
"It can come across as if I'm being oversensitive and overreacting, but it's hard to explain without firsthand experience."
Three Ways to Handle It
If you suffer then there are a few methods you can use to handle the situation, according to specialists.
- Imagine an Alternative: Mental imagery is crucial. Try to associate the particular sound causing distress with something completely different. For instance, try to envision someone's slurping is just a gentle stream. The goal is to help your brain learn that the sound affecting you is neutral.
- Use Humor: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a competition with the person. For example, if someone is eating noisily have a go at copying the noise. Through participation, rather than feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an active participant. And the challenge should help shift your attention and make you a little less affected.
- Create a Scenario: One more method is to try to fabricate an explanation about the reason someone making the noise is doing it. So if someone was making a nasal sound, perhaps they're not at their best or maybe they're upset. By doing this is re-framing the context of the sound. While the noise doesn't change, your interpretation of it moves from being aggravating, to feeling a little more neutral towards it.
