🔗 Share this article Christmas Transforms Into a Nightmare for Those with Misophonia. With time, individuals discover strategies to handle their sound sensitivity. Lottie is looking forward to seeing her family during the festive period, but admits a primary method she'll endure is by wearing her earplugs - notably for the holiday meal. For her, the holidays can be a notably tough time as the sounds of family members munching, sipping loudly and sniffling cause her extremely uncomfortable. "I experience this feeling of immediate anxiety, my every muscle will just tense up and it as though I'm in danger, and I need to stop these noises." Lottie has experienced sound sensitivity for several years and for her that causes the Christmas time "deeply taxing". Misophonia is a decreased threshold to certain sounds, notably sounds produced by those around you. The condition is widespread across the population. Researchers reported nearly 20% people experience it. Frequently it's sounds associated with mouth, throat or facial movements that lead to discomfort, including examples such as chewing, heavy breathing, and pen clicking. A Source of Dread She explains: "There are so many assorted problematic noises at the holidays and that can be daunting and make you dread it. "My relatives 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 managing my symptoms to guarantee the event goes smoothly." So it's obvious why the supposedly joyous period can rapidly become a source of agony for affected individuals. Noises that may appear innocuous, like someone drinking champagne, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or enjoying festive food can provoke a visceral feeling that can even result in them skipping events entirely. Another individual is considering strategies to manage the holiday dinner. The student, a university student, who has experienced sound sensitivity since aged 10, states her strategy is to use headphones to cope. Typically, she would usually isolate herself in a different room to escape triggering sounds. She notes her misophonia is more pronounced around people she's closest to, so the holidays is always "hard". "People assume you to be around family, and I want to, but it's physically and mentally challenging. "The sensation is this intense irritation washes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel anxious and burst into tears and then fight-or-flight will activate. "It may seem as if I'm being difficult and melodramatic, but it's tough to describe unless you've experienced it." A Few Techniques to Cope For those affected then there are some different techniques you can use to handle the situation, based on advice from clinical psychologists. Visualise an Alternative: Imagination is key. Work on connecting the specific noise causing distress with something completely different. For instance, try to picture someone's slurping is just a waterfall. This technique is to help your brain learn that the sound triggering you isn't harmful. Try a Competition: Introduce playfulness and turn the annoying sound into a challenge with the person. For example, if someone is crunching loudly have a go at joining in. By mimicking, 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. Craft a Story: One more method is to try to invent a reason about the reason someone creating the sound is behaving that way. So if someone was making a nasal sound, maybe they are not in good health or are troubled. This approach is altering the perception of the sound. While the sound stays the same, your reaction of it moves from being irritating, to feeling a bit more accepting towards it.
With time, individuals discover strategies to handle their sound sensitivity. Lottie is looking forward to seeing her family during the festive period, but admits a primary method she'll endure is by wearing her earplugs - notably for the holiday meal. For her, the holidays can be a notably tough time as the sounds of family members munching, sipping loudly and sniffling cause her extremely uncomfortable. "I experience this feeling of immediate anxiety, my every muscle will just tense up and it as though I'm in danger, and I need to stop these noises." Lottie has experienced sound sensitivity for several years and for her that causes the Christmas time "deeply taxing". Misophonia is a decreased threshold to certain sounds, notably sounds produced by those around you. The condition is widespread across the population. Researchers reported nearly 20% people experience it. Frequently it's sounds associated with mouth, throat or facial movements that lead to discomfort, including examples such as chewing, heavy breathing, and pen clicking. A Source of Dread She explains: "There are so many assorted problematic noises at the holidays and that can be daunting and make you dread it. "My relatives 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 managing my symptoms to guarantee the event goes smoothly." So it's obvious why the supposedly joyous period can rapidly become a source of agony for affected individuals. Noises that may appear innocuous, like someone drinking champagne, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or enjoying festive food can provoke a visceral feeling that can even result in them skipping events entirely. Another individual is considering strategies to manage the holiday dinner. The student, a university student, who has experienced sound sensitivity since aged 10, states her strategy is to use headphones to cope. Typically, she would usually isolate herself in a different room to escape triggering sounds. She notes her misophonia is more pronounced around people she's closest to, so the holidays is always "hard". "People assume you to be around family, and I want to, but it's physically and mentally challenging. "The sensation is this intense irritation washes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel anxious and burst into tears and then fight-or-flight will activate. "It may seem as if I'm being difficult and melodramatic, but it's tough to describe unless you've experienced it." A Few Techniques to Cope For those affected then there are some different techniques you can use to handle the situation, based on advice from clinical psychologists. Visualise an Alternative: Imagination is key. Work on connecting the specific noise causing distress with something completely different. For instance, try to picture someone's slurping is just a waterfall. This technique is to help your brain learn that the sound triggering you isn't harmful. Try a Competition: Introduce playfulness and turn the annoying sound into a challenge with the person. For example, if someone is crunching loudly have a go at joining in. By mimicking, 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. Craft a Story: One more method is to try to invent a reason about the reason someone creating the sound is behaving that way. So if someone was making a nasal sound, maybe they are not in good health or are troubled. This approach is altering the perception of the sound. While the sound stays the same, your reaction of it moves from being irritating, to feeling a bit more accepting towards it.