🔗 Share this article Christmas Often Proves to Be a Nightmare for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity. Over the years, people discover ways to try to better manage their misophonia. A 23-year-old is looking forward to seeing her relatives during the festive period, but notes one of the only ways she'll endure is by relying on her noise-cancelling devices - notably for Christmas dinner. For her, the holidays can be a especially challenging season as the auditory triggers of other people chewing, slurping and nose-blowing make her feel extremely uncomfortable. "There's this sensation of immediate anxiety, my entire being will just tighten and it seems as if I'm in danger, and I need to stop these noises." She has suffered from misophonia for several years and for her that renders the holiday period "incredibly overwhelming". Misophonia is a decreased threshold to certain sounds, notably sounds made by other people. It is prevalent in the UK. Researchers reported almost one in five people are affected by it. Often it's noises associated with mouth, throat or facial movements that cause distress, including examples such as crunching, breathing, and repetitive finger tapping. 'Anxiety Inducing' She explains: "There are so many assorted problematic noises at the holidays and that can be stressful and make you want to avoid it. "My family are supportive, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a really big battle of managing my symptoms to ensure everyone else is happy." So it's easy to understand why the supposedly joyous season can quickly turn into a stressful ordeal for sufferers. Sounds that may seem harmless, like someone sipping a beverage, opening presents, or eating the holiday meal can cause a powerful reaction that can even cause them withdrawing from gatherings. A 21-year-old student is planning coping mechanisms to help her during Christmas lunch. She, a young adult, who has experienced misophonia since aged 10, says the approach she intends to use is to use headphones to get through dinner. Typically, she would frequently go in a different room to avoid triggering sounds. She says her sensitivity is worse around people she's closest to, so the holidays is always "challenging". "People assume you to spend time with family, and I want to, but it's physically and mentally challenging. "The sensation is this intense irritation takes hold, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel anxious and immediately start crying and then fight-or-flight will kick in. "To others it appears as if I'm being oversensitive and overreacting, but it's tough to describe without firsthand experience." Three Ways to Cope If you suffer then there are various strategies you can attempt to manage the situation, according to clinical psychologists. Imagine a Different Scenario: Imagination is essential. Work on connecting the specific noise causing distress with a neutral concept. For instance, try to imagine someone's slurping is just a waterfall. The goal is to retrain your mind that the sound triggering you is neutral. Try a Competition: Use lightheartedness and make the irritating noise into a challenge with the culprit. For example, if someone is crunching loudly try mimicking the sound. By mimicking, instead of feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an engaged person. And the game aspect should help distract your brain and make you slightly more tolerant. Craft a Story: Another technique is to try to fabricate an explanation about the reason someone making the noise is doing it. For example if someone was sniffing, maybe they are not in good health or are troubled. This approach is re-framing the context of the sound. While the sound remains identical, your interpretation of it shifts from being irritating, to feeling a bit more accepting towards it.
Over the years, people discover ways to try to better manage their misophonia. A 23-year-old is looking forward to seeing her relatives during the festive period, but notes one of the only ways she'll endure is by relying on her noise-cancelling devices - notably for Christmas dinner. For her, the holidays can be a especially challenging season as the auditory triggers of other people chewing, slurping and nose-blowing make her feel extremely uncomfortable. "There's this sensation of immediate anxiety, my entire being will just tighten and it seems as if I'm in danger, and I need to stop these noises." She has suffered from misophonia for several years and for her that renders the holiday period "incredibly overwhelming". Misophonia is a decreased threshold to certain sounds, notably sounds made by other people. It is prevalent in the UK. Researchers reported almost one in five people are affected by it. Often it's noises associated with mouth, throat or facial movements that cause distress, including examples such as crunching, breathing, and repetitive finger tapping. 'Anxiety Inducing' She explains: "There are so many assorted problematic noises at the holidays and that can be stressful and make you want to avoid it. "My family are supportive, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a really big battle of managing my symptoms to ensure everyone else is happy." So it's easy to understand why the supposedly joyous season can quickly turn into a stressful ordeal for sufferers. Sounds that may seem harmless, like someone sipping a beverage, opening presents, or eating the holiday meal can cause a powerful reaction that can even cause them withdrawing from gatherings. A 21-year-old student is planning coping mechanisms to help her during Christmas lunch. She, a young adult, who has experienced misophonia since aged 10, says the approach she intends to use is to use headphones to get through dinner. Typically, she would frequently go in a different room to avoid triggering sounds. She says her sensitivity is worse around people she's closest to, so the holidays is always "challenging". "People assume you to spend time with family, and I want to, but it's physically and mentally challenging. "The sensation is this intense irritation takes hold, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel anxious and immediately start crying and then fight-or-flight will kick in. "To others it appears as if I'm being oversensitive and overreacting, but it's tough to describe without firsthand experience." Three Ways to Cope If you suffer then there are various strategies you can attempt to manage the situation, according to clinical psychologists. Imagine a Different Scenario: Imagination is essential. Work on connecting the specific noise causing distress with a neutral concept. For instance, try to imagine someone's slurping is just a waterfall. The goal is to retrain your mind that the sound triggering you is neutral. Try a Competition: Use lightheartedness and make the irritating noise into a challenge with the culprit. For example, if someone is crunching loudly try mimicking the sound. By mimicking, instead of feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an engaged person. And the game aspect should help distract your brain and make you slightly more tolerant. Craft a Story: Another technique is to try to fabricate an explanation about the reason someone making the noise is doing it. For example if someone was sniffing, maybe they are not in good health or are troubled. This approach is re-framing the context of the sound. While the sound remains identical, your interpretation of it shifts from being irritating, to feeling a bit more accepting towards it.