🔗 Share this article Yuletide Can Be a Nightmare for Misophonia Sufferers. With time, individuals discover ways to handle their sound sensitivity. One young woman hopes for being with her relatives during the festive period, but admits a primary method she'll manage to get through it is by wearing her hearing protection - particularly at Christmas dinner. For the 23-year-old, Christmas is a particularly difficult season as the sounds of family members munching, sipping loudly and sniffling cause her profound anxiety. "I experience this sensation of immediate anxiety, my entire being will just tighten and it feels like I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to somehow control these triggers." Lottie has suffered from misophonia from a young age and for her that renders the holiday period "exceptionally stressful". Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to particular auditory triggers, notably sounds produced by individuals. It is prevalent in the UK. Researchers reported a significant portion of people suffer from it. Frequently it's noises associated with mouth, throat or facial movements that lead to discomfort, as well as examples such as crunching, breathing, and pen clicking. A Source of Dread Lottie says: "There are so many various auditory triggers at the holidays and that can be anxiety inducing and make you fear it. "My family are aware, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a really big battle of sacrificing my own sanity to make sure the event goes smoothly." So it's obvious why the most wonderful season can rapidly become a living nightmare for affected individuals. Sounds that may seem harmless, like someone drinking champagne, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or eating the holiday meal can provoke a powerful reaction that can even result in them skipping events entirely. A 21-year-old student is planning strategies to help her during the holiday dinner. The student, a university student, who has experienced misophonia for over a decade, says currently her plan is to listen to music to manage the meal. On any other day, she would often retreat in a quiet area to escape triggering sounds. She explains her misophonia is worse around people she's most comfortable with, so Christmas is always "difficult". "There's an expectation to be around family, and I wish to, but it's draining. "It's like this intense irritation washes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel stressed and begin to weep and then the stress response will take over. "It can come across as if I'm being oversensitive and overreacting, but it's difficult to convey without firsthand experience." A Few Techniques to Handle It For those affected then there are some different techniques you can attempt to manage the situation, as suggested by clinical psychologists. Visualise Something Else: Mental imagery is key. Try to associate the triggering sound affecting you with something completely different. For instance, try to envision someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. By doing this is to help your brain learn that the sound triggering you is neutral. Make it a Game: Use lightheartedness and make the irritating noise into a competition involving the source. For instance, if someone is eating noisily have a go at copying the noise. By joining in, instead of feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an willing part. And the game aspect should help distract your brain and make you somewhat less sensitive. Develop a Narrative: Another technique is to try to invent a reason about why the person creating the sound is having to make that sound. So if someone was sniffing, perhaps they're not in good health or are troubled. The idea is changing the meaning of the sound. Although the sound remains identical, your reaction of it moves from being annoying, to feeling a slightly more compassionate towards it.
With time, individuals discover ways to handle their sound sensitivity. One young woman hopes for being with her relatives during the festive period, but admits a primary method she'll manage to get through it is by wearing her hearing protection - particularly at Christmas dinner. For the 23-year-old, Christmas is a particularly difficult season as the sounds of family members munching, sipping loudly and sniffling cause her profound anxiety. "I experience this sensation of immediate anxiety, my entire being will just tighten and it feels like I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to somehow control these triggers." Lottie has suffered from misophonia from a young age and for her that renders the holiday period "exceptionally stressful". Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to particular auditory triggers, notably sounds produced by individuals. It is prevalent in the UK. Researchers reported a significant portion of people suffer from it. Frequently it's noises associated with mouth, throat or facial movements that lead to discomfort, as well as examples such as crunching, breathing, and pen clicking. A Source of Dread Lottie says: "There are so many various auditory triggers at the holidays and that can be anxiety inducing and make you fear it. "My family are aware, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a really big battle of sacrificing my own sanity to make sure the event goes smoothly." So it's obvious why the most wonderful season can rapidly become a living nightmare for affected individuals. Sounds that may seem harmless, like someone drinking champagne, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or eating the holiday meal can provoke a powerful reaction that can even result in them skipping events entirely. A 21-year-old student is planning strategies to help her during the holiday dinner. The student, a university student, who has experienced misophonia for over a decade, says currently her plan is to listen to music to manage the meal. On any other day, she would often retreat in a quiet area to escape triggering sounds. She explains her misophonia is worse around people she's most comfortable with, so Christmas is always "difficult". "There's an expectation to be around family, and I wish to, but it's draining. "It's like this intense irritation washes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel stressed and begin to weep and then the stress response will take over. "It can come across as if I'm being oversensitive and overreacting, but it's difficult to convey without firsthand experience." A Few Techniques to Handle It For those affected then there are some different techniques you can attempt to manage the situation, as suggested by clinical psychologists. Visualise Something Else: Mental imagery is key. Try to associate the triggering sound affecting you with something completely different. For instance, try to envision someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. By doing this is to help your brain learn that the sound triggering you is neutral. Make it a Game: Use lightheartedness and make the irritating noise into a competition involving the source. For instance, if someone is eating noisily have a go at copying the noise. By joining in, instead of feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an willing part. And the game aspect should help distract your brain and make you somewhat less sensitive. Develop a Narrative: Another technique is to try to invent a reason about why the person creating the sound is having to make that sound. So if someone was sniffing, perhaps they're not in good health or are troubled. The idea is changing the meaning of the sound. Although the sound remains identical, your reaction of it moves from being annoying, to feeling a slightly more compassionate towards it.