🔗 Share this article Christmas Can Be a Living Hell for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity. With time, people develop methods to cope with their misophonia. A 23-year-old is looking forward to spending time with her relatives during the festive period, but says a primary method she'll cope is by relying on her noise-cancelling devices - especially during the main festive feast. For the 23-year-old, the holidays often feels like a especially challenging time as the sounds of people eating, sipping loudly and sniffling make her feel profound anxiety. "There's this sensation of instant dread, my entire being will just freeze and it as though I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to stop these sounds." The individual has lived with misophonia for several years and for her that makes the Christmas time "exceptionally stressful". Misophonia is a decreased threshold to particular auditory triggers, particularly those coming from individuals. The condition is widespread amongst adults. A study discovered a significant portion of people experience it. Frequently it's noises associated with mouth, throat or facial movements that lead to discomfort, including examples such as chewing, heavy breathing, and repetitive finger tapping. A Source of Dread She explains: "There are so many various auditory triggers at the holidays and that can be daunting and make you want to avoid it. "My family are aware, but I'm very aware that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a really big battle of managing my symptoms to ensure the event goes smoothly." So it's easy to understand why the traditionally happy time of the year can rapidly become a living nightmare for those with the condition. Sounds that may seem harmless, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, unwrapping gifts, or eating the holiday meal can trigger a strong emotional response that can even result in them withdrawing from gatherings. Jenna is planning coping mechanisms to get her through the holiday dinner. The student, a university student, who has dealt with misophonia since aged 10, says the approach she intends to use is to listen to music to manage the meal. On any other day, she would usually isolate herself in a quiet area to avoid triggering sounds. She explains her sensitivity is more pronounced around people she's closest to, so the holidays is always "difficult". "There's an expectation to be around loved ones, and I want to, but it's physically and mentally challenging. "I feel as if this uncontrollable anger washes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel anxious and burst into tears and then fight-or-flight will kick in. "It may seem as if I'm being difficult and overreacting, but it's tough to describe without firsthand experience." Three Ways to Cope For those affected then there are some different techniques you can use to handle the situation, as suggested by experts. Imagine a Different Scenario: Mental imagery is crucial. Try to associate the triggering sound bothering you with an unrelated image. So for example, try to picture someone's noisy drinking is just a sink draining water. The goal is to retrain your mind that the sound triggering you is neutral. Try a Competition: Have a bit of fun and make the irritating noise into a challenge involving the source. For instance, if someone is eating noisily attempt copying the noise. By joining in, rather than feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an engaged person. And the challenge should help distract your brain and make you somewhat less sensitive. Create a Scenario: One more method is to try to invent a reason about why the person making the noise is behaving that way. So if someone was making a nasal sound, perhaps they're not feeling well or could be emotional. The idea is altering the perception of the sound. While the noise stays the same, your understanding of it changes from being irritating, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.
With time, people develop methods to cope with their misophonia. A 23-year-old is looking forward to spending time with her relatives during the festive period, but says a primary method she'll cope is by relying on her noise-cancelling devices - especially during the main festive feast. For the 23-year-old, the holidays often feels like a especially challenging time as the sounds of people eating, sipping loudly and sniffling make her feel profound anxiety. "There's this sensation of instant dread, my entire being will just freeze and it as though I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to stop these sounds." The individual has lived with misophonia for several years and for her that makes the Christmas time "exceptionally stressful". Misophonia is a decreased threshold to particular auditory triggers, particularly those coming from individuals. The condition is widespread amongst adults. A study discovered a significant portion of people experience it. Frequently it's noises associated with mouth, throat or facial movements that lead to discomfort, including examples such as chewing, heavy breathing, and repetitive finger tapping. A Source of Dread She explains: "There are so many various auditory triggers at the holidays and that can be daunting and make you want to avoid it. "My family are aware, but I'm very aware that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a really big battle of managing my symptoms to ensure the event goes smoothly." So it's easy to understand why the traditionally happy time of the year can rapidly become a living nightmare for those with the condition. Sounds that may seem harmless, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, unwrapping gifts, or eating the holiday meal can trigger a strong emotional response that can even result in them withdrawing from gatherings. Jenna is planning coping mechanisms to get her through the holiday dinner. The student, a university student, who has dealt with misophonia since aged 10, says the approach she intends to use is to listen to music to manage the meal. On any other day, she would usually isolate herself in a quiet area to avoid triggering sounds. She explains her sensitivity is more pronounced around people she's closest to, so the holidays is always "difficult". "There's an expectation to be around loved ones, and I want to, but it's physically and mentally challenging. "I feel as if this uncontrollable anger washes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel anxious and burst into tears and then fight-or-flight will kick in. "It may seem as if I'm being difficult and overreacting, but it's tough to describe without firsthand experience." Three Ways to Cope For those affected then there are some different techniques you can use to handle the situation, as suggested by experts. Imagine a Different Scenario: Mental imagery is crucial. Try to associate the triggering sound bothering you with an unrelated image. So for example, try to picture someone's noisy drinking is just a sink draining water. The goal is to retrain your mind that the sound triggering you is neutral. Try a Competition: Have a bit of fun and make the irritating noise into a challenge involving the source. For instance, if someone is eating noisily attempt copying the noise. By joining in, rather than feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an engaged person. And the challenge should help distract your brain and make you somewhat less sensitive. Create a Scenario: One more method is to try to invent a reason about why the person making the noise is behaving that way. So if someone was making a nasal sound, perhaps they're not feeling well or could be emotional. The idea is altering the perception of the sound. While the noise stays the same, your understanding of it changes from being irritating, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.