🔗 Share this article Christmas Can Be a Living Hell for Those with Misophonia. Through experience, sufferers have found methods to handle their sound sensitivity. A 23-year-old anticipates being with her family during the festive period, but notes a key strategy she'll endure is by using her earplugs - especially during Christmas dinner. For her, the holidays often feels like a especially challenging period as the auditory triggers of other people chewing, slurping and breathing heavily make her feel profound anxiety. "I experience this feeling of sudden panic, my entire being will just freeze and it seems as if I'm in danger, and I need to manage these noises." She has suffered from sound sensitivity since she was 16 and for her that renders the holiday period "exceptionally stressful". Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to specific noises, especially noises produced by those around you. It is prevalent across the population. Experts found almost one in five people are affected by it. Typically it's noises associated with bodily functions that lead to discomfort, along with things like chewing, heavy breathing, and pen clicking. Triggering Stress The sufferer notes: "There are so many different triggering sounds at Christmas and that can be stressful and make you fear it. "Those close to me are understanding, but I'm very aware that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a really big battle of sacrificing my own sanity to ensure others enjoy themselves." So it's obvious why the most wonderful time of the year can quickly turn into a living nightmare for affected individuals. Triggers that may be considered normal, like someone sipping a beverage, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or enjoying festive food can provoke a powerful reaction that can even result in them withdrawing from gatherings. Jenna is already thinking about strategies to manage the holiday dinner. Jenna, a 21-year-old student, who has experienced sound sensitivity since aged 10, explains currently her plan is to use headphones to get through dinner. Typically, she would usually isolate herself in a quiet area to minimize triggering sounds. She says her misophonia is more pronounced around people she's most familiar with, so the holidays is always "challenging". "There's an expectation to spend time with family, and I desire to, but it's exhausting on all levels. "I feel as if this sudden rage washes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel anxious and immediately start crying and then the stress response will take over. "To others it appears as if I'm being difficult and dramatic, but it's hard to explain without firsthand experience." Three Ways to Handle It For those affected then there are a few methods you can try to cope the situation, as suggested by experts. Visualise an Alternative: Creative thinking is essential. Attempt to link the specific noise causing distress with an unrelated image. As an illustration, try to picture someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. The goal is to teach your brain that the sound affecting you is neutral. Use Humor: Introduce playfulness and turn the annoying sound into a competition with the culprit. As an example, if someone is eating noisily try copying the noise. Through participation, instead of feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an active participant. And the competition element should help redirect your focus and make you slightly more tolerant. Develop a Narrative: Another technique is to try to create a little story about why the person making the noise is behaving that way. So if someone was sniffing, maybe they are not at their best or are troubled. By doing this is re-framing the context of the sound. While the sound doesn't change, your understanding of it shifts from being annoying, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.
Through experience, sufferers have found methods to handle their sound sensitivity. A 23-year-old anticipates being with her family during the festive period, but notes a key strategy she'll endure is by using her earplugs - especially during Christmas dinner. For her, the holidays often feels like a especially challenging period as the auditory triggers of other people chewing, slurping and breathing heavily make her feel profound anxiety. "I experience this feeling of sudden panic, my entire being will just freeze and it seems as if I'm in danger, and I need to manage these noises." She has suffered from sound sensitivity since she was 16 and for her that renders the holiday period "exceptionally stressful". Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to specific noises, especially noises produced by those around you. It is prevalent across the population. Experts found almost one in five people are affected by it. Typically it's noises associated with bodily functions that lead to discomfort, along with things like chewing, heavy breathing, and pen clicking. Triggering Stress The sufferer notes: "There are so many different triggering sounds at Christmas and that can be stressful and make you fear it. "Those close to me are understanding, but I'm very aware that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a really big battle of sacrificing my own sanity to ensure others enjoy themselves." So it's obvious why the most wonderful time of the year can quickly turn into a living nightmare for affected individuals. Triggers that may be considered normal, like someone sipping a beverage, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or enjoying festive food can provoke a powerful reaction that can even result in them withdrawing from gatherings. Jenna is already thinking about strategies to manage the holiday dinner. Jenna, a 21-year-old student, who has experienced sound sensitivity since aged 10, explains currently her plan is to use headphones to get through dinner. Typically, she would usually isolate herself in a quiet area to minimize triggering sounds. She says her misophonia is more pronounced around people she's most familiar with, so the holidays is always "challenging". "There's an expectation to spend time with family, and I desire to, but it's exhausting on all levels. "I feel as if this sudden rage washes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel anxious and immediately start crying and then the stress response will take over. "To others it appears as if I'm being difficult and dramatic, but it's hard to explain without firsthand experience." Three Ways to Handle It For those affected then there are a few methods you can try to cope the situation, as suggested by experts. Visualise an Alternative: Creative thinking is essential. Attempt to link the specific noise causing distress with an unrelated image. As an illustration, try to picture someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. The goal is to teach your brain that the sound affecting you is neutral. Use Humor: Introduce playfulness and turn the annoying sound into a competition with the culprit. As an example, if someone is eating noisily try copying the noise. Through participation, instead of feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an active participant. And the competition element should help redirect your focus and make you slightly more tolerant. Develop a Narrative: Another technique is to try to create a little story about why the person making the noise is behaving that way. So if someone was sniffing, maybe they are not at their best or are troubled. By doing this is re-framing the context of the sound. While the sound doesn't change, your understanding of it shifts from being annoying, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.