🔗 Share this article The Holiday Season Transforms Into a Living Hell for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity. With time, sufferers discover methods to cope with their condition. A 23-year-old anticipates seeing her loved ones over the holidays, but admits a primary method she'll manage to get through it is by wearing her noise-cancelling devices - notably for the main festive feast. In her case, the holidays is a especially challenging period as the noises of people eating, slurping and sniffling make her feel extremely uncomfortable. "There's this feeling of immediate anxiety, my whole body will just freeze and it seems as if I'm in danger, and I need to manage these sounds." The individual has lived with this condition for several years and for her that causes the Christmas time "exceptionally stressful". Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to certain sounds, particularly those made by other people. It's surprisingly common in the UK. A study found a significant portion of people experience it. Typically it's noises linked to bodily functions that cause distress, along with things like crunching, heavy breathing, and foot tapping. 'Anxiety Inducing' Lottie says: "I face so many different triggering sounds at the holidays and that can be daunting and make you fear it. "My relatives are supportive, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a internal conflict of sacrificing my own sanity to make sure the event goes smoothly." So it's obvious why the supposedly joyous period can quickly turn into a source of agony for those with the condition. Noises that may be considered normal, like someone drinking champagne, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can provoke a strong emotional response that can even lead to them skipping events entirely. Jenna is planning ways to help her during the holiday dinner. She, a university student, who has experienced misophonia since aged 10, explains currently her plan is to listen to music to cope. Usually, she would usually isolate herself in a different room to minimize problematic noises. She says her condition is worse around people she's closest to, so the holidays is always "hard". "There is pressure to socialize with loved ones, and I wish to, but it's draining. "The sensation is this uncontrollable anger comes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel panicked and begin to weep and then fight-or-flight will kick in. "It can come across as if I'm being difficult and melodramatic, but it's tough to describe if you haven't felt it." A Few Techniques to Cope If you suffer then there are a few methods you can use to handle the situation, as suggested by experts. Imagine a Different Scenario: Mental imagery is crucial. Attempt to link the triggering sound bothering you with an unrelated image. So for example, try to envision someone's noisy drinking is just a sink draining water. By doing this is to retrain your mind that the sound triggering you isn't harmful. Make it a Game: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a competition involving the source. For example, if someone is eating noisily attempt joining in. By joining in, rather than feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an engaged person. And the game aspect should help distract your brain and make you a little less affected. Create a Scenario: A further strategy is to try to create a little story about why the person making the noise is having to make that sound. So if someone was sniffing, perhaps they're not at their best or could be emotional. This approach is altering the perception of the sound. While the noise remains identical, your understanding of it shifts from being annoying, to feeling a bit more accepting towards it.
With time, sufferers discover methods to cope with their condition. A 23-year-old anticipates seeing her loved ones over the holidays, but admits a primary method she'll manage to get through it is by wearing her noise-cancelling devices - notably for the main festive feast. In her case, the holidays is a especially challenging period as the noises of people eating, slurping and sniffling make her feel extremely uncomfortable. "There's this feeling of immediate anxiety, my whole body will just freeze and it seems as if I'm in danger, and I need to manage these sounds." The individual has lived with this condition for several years and for her that causes the Christmas time "exceptionally stressful". Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to certain sounds, particularly those made by other people. It's surprisingly common in the UK. A study found a significant portion of people experience it. Typically it's noises linked to bodily functions that cause distress, along with things like crunching, heavy breathing, and foot tapping. 'Anxiety Inducing' Lottie says: "I face so many different triggering sounds at the holidays and that can be daunting and make you fear it. "My relatives are supportive, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a internal conflict of sacrificing my own sanity to make sure the event goes smoothly." So it's obvious why the supposedly joyous period can quickly turn into a source of agony for those with the condition. Noises that may be considered normal, like someone drinking champagne, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can provoke a strong emotional response that can even lead to them skipping events entirely. Jenna is planning ways to help her during the holiday dinner. She, a university student, who has experienced misophonia since aged 10, explains currently her plan is to listen to music to cope. Usually, she would usually isolate herself in a different room to minimize problematic noises. She says her condition is worse around people she's closest to, so the holidays is always "hard". "There is pressure to socialize with loved ones, and I wish to, but it's draining. "The sensation is this uncontrollable anger comes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel panicked and begin to weep and then fight-or-flight will kick in. "It can come across as if I'm being difficult and melodramatic, but it's tough to describe if you haven't felt it." A Few Techniques to Cope If you suffer then there are a few methods you can use to handle the situation, as suggested by experts. Imagine a Different Scenario: Mental imagery is crucial. Attempt to link the triggering sound bothering you with an unrelated image. So for example, try to envision someone's noisy drinking is just a sink draining water. By doing this is to retrain your mind that the sound triggering you isn't harmful. Make it a Game: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a competition involving the source. For example, if someone is eating noisily attempt joining in. By joining in, rather than feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an engaged person. And the game aspect should help distract your brain and make you a little less affected. Create a Scenario: A further strategy is to try to create a little story about why the person making the noise is having to make that sound. So if someone was sniffing, perhaps they're not at their best or could be emotional. This approach is altering the perception of the sound. While the noise remains identical, your understanding of it shifts from being annoying, to feeling a bit more accepting towards it.