Christmas Transforms Into a Living Hell for Misophonia Sufferers.
A 23-year-old hopes for being with her loved ones over the holidays, but says a primary method she'll cope is by using her hearing protection - particularly at Christmas dinner.
For the 23-year-old, the holidays is a notably tough time as the sounds of other people chewing, sipping loudly and sniffling trigger profound anxiety.
"There's this wave of sudden panic, my entire being will just tighten and it feels like I'm in peril, and I need to stop these sounds."
She has suffered from sound sensitivity since she was 16 and for her that renders the holiday period "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to particular auditory triggers, notably sounds made by individuals.
It is prevalent across the population. Researchers found nearly 20% people are affected by it.
Often it's sounds linked to eating or drinking that lead to discomfort, along with things like chewing, breathing, and foot tapping.
'Anxiety Inducing'
The sufferer notes: "There are so many different triggering sounds at the holidays and that can be stressful and make you dread it.
"My family are supportive, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a internal conflict of sacrificing my own sanity to make sure others enjoy themselves."
So it's clear why the most wonderful time of the year can quickly turn into a source of agony for affected individuals.
Noises that may appear innocuous, like someone sipping a beverage, opening presents, or eating the holiday meal can provoke a powerful reaction that can even result in them withdrawing from gatherings.
Jenna, a 21-year-old student, who has dealt with sound sensitivity from childhood, states the approach she intends to use is to listen to music to manage the meal. Usually, she would often retreat in a separate space to minimize triggering sounds.
She explains her condition is more pronounced around people she's most comfortable with, so Christmas is always "challenging".
"People assume you to spend time with family, and I desire to, but it's draining.
"I feel as if this sudden rage washes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel stressed and burst into tears and then the stress response will kick in.
"To others it appears as if I'm being difficult and dramatic, but it's tough to describe if you haven't felt it."
Several Strategies to Cope
If it's an issue then there are various strategies you can use to handle the situation, according to specialists.
- Imagine Something Else: Imagination is essential. Work on connecting the particular sound bothering you with something completely different. As an illustration, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a sink draining water. The goal is to help your brain learn that the sound affecting you is neutral.
- Use Humor: Use lightheartedness and turn the annoying sound into a game with the culprit. For example, if someone is crunching loudly try mimicking the sound. By mimicking, rather than feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an active participant. And the competition element should help shift your attention and make you a little less affected.
- Develop a Narrative: Another technique is to try to invent a reason about why the person creating the sound is behaving that way. So if someone was making a nasal sound, it could be that they're not at their best or are troubled. By doing this is re-framing the context of the sound. Although the sound stays the same, your understanding of it shifts from being aggravating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate about it.
