🔗 Share this article The Holiday Season Can Be a Nightmare for Misophonia Sufferers. Over the years, sufferers discover strategies to cope with their sound sensitivity. One young woman is looking forward to seeing her relatives this Christmas, but notes a key strategy she'll manage to get through it is by relying on her hearing protection - particularly at the main festive feast. For her, the holidays often feels like a especially challenging time as the sounds of family members munching, sipping loudly and sniffling trigger extremely uncomfortable. "I experience this sensation of instant dread, my entire being will just tense up and it seems as if I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to somehow control these triggers." Lottie has experienced sound sensitivity since she was 16 and for her that causes the festive season "deeply taxing". Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to specific noises, particularly those made by those around you. It is prevalent amongst adults. A study discovered almost one in five people suffer from it. Frequently it's sounds connected to mouth, throat or facial movements that lead to discomfort, along with things like crunching, breathing, and pen clicking. A Source of Dread Lottie says: "There are so many different triggering sounds at the holidays and that can be anxiety inducing and make you want to avoid it. "Those close to me are understanding, 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 guarantee others enjoy themselves." So it's easy to understand why the most wonderful time of the year can rapidly become a stressful ordeal for affected individuals. Sounds that may seem harmless, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, unwrapping gifts, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can cause a powerful reaction that can even lead to them avoiding social settings altogether. A 21-year-old student is considering strategies to help her during Christmas lunch. The student, a 21-year-old student, who has dealt with misophonia since aged 10, states currently her plan is to use headphones to cope. Typically, she would usually isolate herself in a separate space to escape distressing triggers. She says her misophonia is worse around people she's most familiar with, so the holidays is always "hard". "People assume you to be around loved ones, and I desire to, but it's physically and mentally challenging. "I feel as if this uncontrollable anger comes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel stressed and immediately start crying and then the stress response will activate. "To others it appears as if I'm being difficult and dramatic, but it's difficult to convey unless you've experienced it." Several Strategies to Manage If it's an issue then there are a few methods you can try to cope the situation, as suggested by experts. Imagine Something Else: Mental imagery is crucial. Work on connecting the triggering sound bothering you with something completely different. So for example, try to envision someone's noisy drinking is just a waterfall. This technique is to teach your brain that the sound triggering you is neutral. Use Humor: Have a bit of fun and turn the annoying sound into a competition involving the source. As an example, if someone is crunching loudly have a go at copying the noise. Through participation, instead of feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an active participant. And the game aspect should help distract your brain and make you slightly more tolerant. Create a Scenario: One more method is to try to create a little story about why the person making the noise is doing it. For example if someone was sniffing, perhaps they're not in good health or could be emotional. This approach is re-framing the context of the sound. Even though the sound stays the same, your interpretation of it shifts from being aggravating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate towards it.
Over the years, sufferers discover strategies to cope with their sound sensitivity. One young woman is looking forward to seeing her relatives this Christmas, but notes a key strategy she'll manage to get through it is by relying on her hearing protection - particularly at the main festive feast. For her, the holidays often feels like a especially challenging time as the sounds of family members munching, sipping loudly and sniffling trigger extremely uncomfortable. "I experience this sensation of instant dread, my entire being will just tense up and it seems as if I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to somehow control these triggers." Lottie has experienced sound sensitivity since she was 16 and for her that causes the festive season "deeply taxing". Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to specific noises, particularly those made by those around you. It is prevalent amongst adults. A study discovered almost one in five people suffer from it. Frequently it's sounds connected to mouth, throat or facial movements that lead to discomfort, along with things like crunching, breathing, and pen clicking. A Source of Dread Lottie says: "There are so many different triggering sounds at the holidays and that can be anxiety inducing and make you want to avoid it. "Those close to me are understanding, 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 guarantee others enjoy themselves." So it's easy to understand why the most wonderful time of the year can rapidly become a stressful ordeal for affected individuals. Sounds that may seem harmless, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, unwrapping gifts, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can cause a powerful reaction that can even lead to them avoiding social settings altogether. A 21-year-old student is considering strategies to help her during Christmas lunch. The student, a 21-year-old student, who has dealt with misophonia since aged 10, states currently her plan is to use headphones to cope. Typically, she would usually isolate herself in a separate space to escape distressing triggers. She says her misophonia is worse around people she's most familiar with, so the holidays is always "hard". "People assume you to be around loved ones, and I desire to, but it's physically and mentally challenging. "I feel as if this uncontrollable anger comes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel stressed and immediately start crying and then the stress response will activate. "To others it appears as if I'm being difficult and dramatic, but it's difficult to convey unless you've experienced it." Several Strategies to Manage If it's an issue then there are a few methods you can try to cope the situation, as suggested by experts. Imagine Something Else: Mental imagery is crucial. Work on connecting the triggering sound bothering you with something completely different. So for example, try to envision someone's noisy drinking is just a waterfall. This technique is to teach your brain that the sound triggering you is neutral. Use Humor: Have a bit of fun and turn the annoying sound into a competition involving the source. As an example, if someone is crunching loudly have a go at copying the noise. Through participation, instead of feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an active participant. And the game aspect should help distract your brain and make you slightly more tolerant. Create a Scenario: One more method is to try to create a little story about why the person making the noise is doing it. For example if someone was sniffing, perhaps they're not in good health or could be emotional. This approach is re-framing the context of the sound. Even though the sound stays the same, your interpretation of it shifts from being aggravating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate towards it.