Yuletide Transforms Into a Nightmare for Misophonia Sufferers.
One young woman anticipates being with her loved ones during the festive period, but notes one of the only ways she'll manage to get through it is by wearing her earplugs - particularly at the holiday meal.
In her case, this time of year is a especially challenging season as the sounds of people eating, drinking noisily and breathing heavily trigger extremely uncomfortable.
"I experience this feeling of immediate anxiety, my entire being will just freeze and it as though I'm in danger, and I need to manage these noises."
She has lived with sound sensitivity for several years and for her that causes the festive season "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to specific noises, notably sounds produced by other people.
The condition is widespread across the population. Researchers reported nearly 20% people experience it.
Often it's noises linked to mouth, throat or facial movements that lead to discomfort, along with things like chewing, heavy breathing, and pen clicking.
A Source of Dread
Lottie says: "You encounter so many assorted problematic noises at the holidays and that can be daunting and make you want to avoid it.
"My relatives are supportive, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a really big battle of sacrificing my own sanity to ensure others enjoy themselves."
So it's easy to understand why the supposedly joyous time of the year can rapidly become a stressful ordeal for those with the condition.
Sounds that may be considered normal, like someone drinking champagne, unwrapping gifts, or enjoying festive food can cause a visceral feeling that can even cause them skipping events entirely.
She, a 21-year-old student, who has struggled with sound sensitivity since aged 10, states the approach she intends to use is to put her earphones in to manage the meal. Typically, she would usually isolate herself in a different room to escape triggering sounds.
She explains her sensitivity is more intense around people she's most familiar with, so the holidays is always "challenging".
"People assume you to spend time with loved ones, and I wish to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"I feel as if this sudden rage comes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel anxious and burst into tears and then fight-or-flight will activate.
"It can come across as if I'm being unreasonable and dramatic, but it's tough to describe unless you've experienced it."
A Few Techniques to Manage
If it's an issue then there are a few methods you can try to cope the situation, based on advice from experts.
- Visualise a Different Scenario: Creative thinking is crucial. Attempt to link the particular sound affecting you with a neutral concept. As an illustration, try to imagine someone's slurping is just a gentle stream. The goal is to teach your brain that the sound affecting you isn't harmful.
- Make it a Game: Use lightheartedness and make the irritating noise into a challenge with the culprit. For instance, if someone is crunching loudly attempt copying the noise. Through participation, instead of feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an engaged person. And the challenge should help shift your attention and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Develop a Narrative: A further strategy is to try to invent a reason about why the person creating the sound is doing it. So if someone was making a nasal sound, maybe they are not at their best or are troubled. By doing this is re-framing the context of the sound. Even though the sound remains identical, your interpretation of it changes from being annoying, to feeling a little more neutral towards it.
