🔗 Share this article The Holiday Season Transforms Into a Nightmare for Those with Misophonia. Through experience, people develop ways to handle their sound sensitivity. One young woman is looking forward to being with her loved ones this Christmas, but says one of the only ways she'll endure is by wearing her hearing protection - particularly at Christmas dinner. In her case, the holidays often feels like a notably tough time as the noises of family members munching, slurping and sniffling make her feel extremely uncomfortable. "I get this feeling of sudden panic, my entire being will just tense up and it seems as if I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to stop these noises." The individual has lived with sound sensitivity for several years and for her that causes the Christmas time "exceptionally stressful". Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to certain sounds, especially noises produced by individuals. It's surprisingly common in the UK. Experts discovered a significant portion of people experience it. Frequently it's noises associated with bodily functions that cause distress, including things like chewing, breathing, and repetitive finger tapping. 'Anxiety Inducing' Lottie says: "I face so many various auditory triggers at Christmas and that can be anxiety inducing and make you dread it. "My family are understanding, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a internal conflict of managing my symptoms to guarantee others enjoy themselves." So it's easy to understand why the most wonderful season can quickly turn into a source of agony for those with the condition. Noises that may seem harmless, like someone sipping a beverage, unwrapping gifts, or eating the holiday meal can cause a powerful reaction that can even lead to them withdrawing from gatherings. Another individual is considering strategies to help her during the holiday dinner. The student, a 21-year-old student, who has struggled with misophonia from childhood, states currently her plan is to put her earphones in to manage the meal. Typically, she would frequently go in a quiet area to avoid problematic noises. She says her misophonia is worse around people she's closest to, so Christmas is always "difficult". "There's an expectation to spend time with family, and I want to, but it's exhausting on all levels. "The sensation is this uncontrollable anger washes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel panicked and begin to weep and then panic will take over. "It can come across as if I'm being oversensitive and overreacting, but it's hard to explain if you haven't felt it." Several Strategies to Cope If you suffer then there are a few methods you can attempt to manage the situation, according to clinical psychologists. Imagine Something Else: Mental imagery is essential. Work on connecting the triggering sound bothering you with something completely different. As an illustration, try to envision someone's slurping is just a sink draining water. This technique is to retrain your mind that the sound triggering you poses no threat. Try a Competition: Have a bit of fun and make the irritating noise into a challenge with the person. For example, if someone is crunching loudly try joining in. By joining in, rather than feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an active participant. And the game aspect should help shift your attention and make you a little less affected. Create a Scenario: One more method is to try to invent a reason about the reason someone making the noise is behaving that way. For example if someone was sniffing, it could be that they're not at their best or maybe they're upset. The idea is re-framing the context of the sound. Even though the noise remains identical, your reaction of it changes from being annoying, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.
Through experience, people develop ways to handle their sound sensitivity. One young woman is looking forward to being with her loved ones this Christmas, but says one of the only ways she'll endure is by wearing her hearing protection - particularly at Christmas dinner. In her case, the holidays often feels like a notably tough time as the noises of family members munching, slurping and sniffling make her feel extremely uncomfortable. "I get this feeling of sudden panic, my entire being will just tense up and it seems as if I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to stop these noises." The individual has lived with sound sensitivity for several years and for her that causes the Christmas time "exceptionally stressful". Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to certain sounds, especially noises produced by individuals. It's surprisingly common in the UK. Experts discovered a significant portion of people experience it. Frequently it's noises associated with bodily functions that cause distress, including things like chewing, breathing, and repetitive finger tapping. 'Anxiety Inducing' Lottie says: "I face so many various auditory triggers at Christmas and that can be anxiety inducing and make you dread it. "My family are understanding, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a internal conflict of managing my symptoms to guarantee others enjoy themselves." So it's easy to understand why the most wonderful season can quickly turn into a source of agony for those with the condition. Noises that may seem harmless, like someone sipping a beverage, unwrapping gifts, or eating the holiday meal can cause a powerful reaction that can even lead to them withdrawing from gatherings. Another individual is considering strategies to help her during the holiday dinner. The student, a 21-year-old student, who has struggled with misophonia from childhood, states currently her plan is to put her earphones in to manage the meal. Typically, she would frequently go in a quiet area to avoid problematic noises. She says her misophonia is worse around people she's closest to, so Christmas is always "difficult". "There's an expectation to spend time with family, and I want to, but it's exhausting on all levels. "The sensation is this uncontrollable anger washes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel panicked and begin to weep and then panic will take over. "It can come across as if I'm being oversensitive and overreacting, but it's hard to explain if you haven't felt it." Several Strategies to Cope If you suffer then there are a few methods you can attempt to manage the situation, according to clinical psychologists. Imagine Something Else: Mental imagery is essential. Work on connecting the triggering sound bothering you with something completely different. As an illustration, try to envision someone's slurping is just a sink draining water. This technique is to retrain your mind that the sound triggering you poses no threat. Try a Competition: Have a bit of fun and make the irritating noise into a challenge with the person. For example, if someone is crunching loudly try joining in. By joining in, rather than feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an active participant. And the game aspect should help shift your attention and make you a little less affected. Create a Scenario: One more method is to try to invent a reason about the reason someone making the noise is behaving that way. For example if someone was sniffing, it could be that they're not at their best or maybe they're upset. The idea is re-framing the context of the sound. Even though the noise remains identical, your reaction of it changes from being annoying, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.