🔗 Share this article The Holiday Season Often Proves to Be a Living Hell for Those with Misophonia. Through experience, people develop methods to handle their misophonia. A 23-year-old anticipates seeing her loved ones over the holidays, but says a key strategy she'll cope is by relying on her hearing protection - particularly at the holiday meal. For her, Christmas often feels like a particularly difficult time as the sounds of people eating, drinking noisily and nose-blowing trigger extremely uncomfortable. "There's this feeling of instant dread, my whole body will just tighten and it seems as if I'm in peril, and I need to manage these triggers." Lottie has lived with sound sensitivity for several years and for her that causes the festive season "exceptionally stressful". Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to specific noises, especially noises coming from those around you. It is prevalent in the UK. Researchers found nearly 20% people experience it. Typically it's noises linked to mouth, throat or facial movements that trigger a reaction, along with things like crunching, breathing, and foot tapping. 'Anxiety Inducing' She explains: "I face so many assorted problematic noises at Christmas and that can be stressful and make you want to avoid it. "My relatives are understanding, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a constant struggle of sacrificing my own sanity to make sure others enjoy themselves." So it's obvious why the supposedly joyous period can transform into a stressful ordeal for sufferers. Noises that may seem harmless, like someone drinking champagne, unwrapping gifts, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can cause a powerful reaction that can even lead to them withdrawing from gatherings. A 21-year-old student is already thinking about coping mechanisms to get her through the holiday dinner. Jenna, a young adult, who has struggled with sound sensitivity from childhood, says her strategy is to listen to music to cope. Usually, she would often retreat in a quiet area to minimize problematic noises. She notes her sensitivity is more pronounced around people she's most comfortable with, so the holidays is always "hard". "There's an expectation to spend time with loved ones, and I wish to, but it's physically and mentally challenging. "I feel as if this uncontrollable anger washes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel stressed and begin to weep and then panic will kick in. "It can come across as if I'm being unreasonable and melodramatic, but it's tough to describe if you haven't felt it." A Few Techniques to Handle It For those affected then there are a few methods you can try to cope the situation, according to specialists. Imagine an Alternative: Creative thinking is essential. Attempt to link the triggering sound causing distress with a neutral concept. So for example, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. This technique is to teach your brain that the sound affecting you is neutral. Use Humor: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a game with the person. For example, if someone is eating noisily try mimicking the sound. By mimicking, rather than feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an willing part. And the competition element should help redirect your focus and make you slightly more tolerant. Create a Scenario: A further strategy is to try to invent a reason about why the person creating the sound is having to make that sound. For example if someone was sniffing, maybe they are not in good health or maybe they're upset. By doing this is altering the perception of the sound. Even though the noise remains identical, your understanding of it moves from being aggravating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate about it.
Through experience, people develop methods to handle their misophonia. A 23-year-old anticipates seeing her loved ones over the holidays, but says a key strategy she'll cope is by relying on her hearing protection - particularly at the holiday meal. For her, Christmas often feels like a particularly difficult time as the sounds of people eating, drinking noisily and nose-blowing trigger extremely uncomfortable. "There's this feeling of instant dread, my whole body will just tighten and it seems as if I'm in peril, and I need to manage these triggers." Lottie has lived with sound sensitivity for several years and for her that causes the festive season "exceptionally stressful". Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to specific noises, especially noises coming from those around you. It is prevalent in the UK. Researchers found nearly 20% people experience it. Typically it's noises linked to mouth, throat or facial movements that trigger a reaction, along with things like crunching, breathing, and foot tapping. 'Anxiety Inducing' She explains: "I face so many assorted problematic noises at Christmas and that can be stressful and make you want to avoid it. "My relatives are understanding, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a constant struggle of sacrificing my own sanity to make sure others enjoy themselves." So it's obvious why the supposedly joyous period can transform into a stressful ordeal for sufferers. Noises that may seem harmless, like someone drinking champagne, unwrapping gifts, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can cause a powerful reaction that can even lead to them withdrawing from gatherings. A 21-year-old student is already thinking about coping mechanisms to get her through the holiday dinner. Jenna, a young adult, who has struggled with sound sensitivity from childhood, says her strategy is to listen to music to cope. Usually, she would often retreat in a quiet area to minimize problematic noises. She notes her sensitivity is more pronounced around people she's most comfortable with, so the holidays is always "hard". "There's an expectation to spend time with loved ones, and I wish to, but it's physically and mentally challenging. "I feel as if this uncontrollable anger washes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel stressed and begin to weep and then panic will kick in. "It can come across as if I'm being unreasonable and melodramatic, but it's tough to describe if you haven't felt it." A Few Techniques to Handle It For those affected then there are a few methods you can try to cope the situation, according to specialists. Imagine an Alternative: Creative thinking is essential. Attempt to link the triggering sound causing distress with a neutral concept. So for example, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. This technique is to teach your brain that the sound affecting you is neutral. Use Humor: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a game with the person. For example, if someone is eating noisily try mimicking the sound. By mimicking, rather than feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an willing part. And the competition element should help redirect your focus and make you slightly more tolerant. Create a Scenario: A further strategy is to try to invent a reason about why the person creating the sound is having to make that sound. For example if someone was sniffing, maybe they are not in good health or maybe they're upset. By doing this is altering the perception of the sound. Even though the noise remains identical, your understanding of it moves from being aggravating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate about it.