🔗 Share this article Christmas Often Proves to Be a Nightmare for Misophonia Sufferers. Over the years, individuals discover strategies to cope with their sound sensitivity. Lottie anticipates seeing her relatives over the holidays, but says a key strategy she'll cope is by wearing her noise-cancelling devices - particularly at the holiday meal. In her case, Christmas is a particularly difficult period as the auditory triggers of other people chewing, drinking noisily and breathing heavily make her feel extremely uncomfortable. "There's this feeling of instant dread, my every muscle will just tighten and it seems as if I'm in peril, and I need to somehow control these triggers." Lottie has lived with sound sensitivity since she was 16 and for her that renders the festive season "incredibly overwhelming". Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to specific noises, notably sounds produced by individuals. It is prevalent amongst adults. A study reported almost one in five people experience it. Typically it's sounds connected to bodily functions that cause distress, as well as examples such as chewing, heavy breathing, and foot tapping. 'Anxiety Inducing' The sufferer notes: "I face so many different triggering sounds at Christmas and that can be stressful and make you want to avoid it. "My family are supportive, but I'm very aware that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a constant struggle 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 stressful ordeal for affected individuals. Triggers that may appear innocuous, like someone sipping a beverage, unwrapping gifts, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can provoke a visceral feeling that can even cause them avoiding social settings altogether. Jenna is already thinking about strategies to get her through Christmas lunch. She, a young adult, who has dealt with sound sensitivity since aged 10, states her strategy is to use headphones to manage the meal. On any other day, she would usually isolate herself in a different room to escape problematic noises. She explains her sensitivity is more pronounced around people she's most familiar with, so the holidays is always "challenging". "There is pressure to be around loved ones, and I desire to, but it's physically and mentally challenging. "The sensation is this sudden rage comes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel anxious and burst into tears and then the stress response will take over. "To others it appears as if I'm being oversensitive and melodramatic, but it's hard to explain unless you've experienced it." A Few Techniques to Cope If you suffer then there are some different techniques you can use to handle the situation, based on advice from experts. Picture Something Else: Creative thinking is key. Try to associate the triggering sound causing distress with an unrelated image. As an illustration, try to picture someone's slurping is just a gentle stream. This technique is to help your brain learn that the sound triggering you is neutral. Use Humor: Have a bit of fun and make the irritating noise into a game involving the source. For instance, if someone is crunching loudly have a go at copying the noise. Through participation, rather than feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an engaged person. And the competition element should help redirect your focus and make you slightly more tolerant. Develop a Narrative: A further strategy is to try to fabricate an explanation about why the person making the noise is behaving that way. For example if someone was sniffing, perhaps they're not feeling well or could be emotional. By doing this is altering the perception of the sound. While the noise remains identical, your reaction of it moves from being aggravating, to feeling a little more neutral about it.
Over the years, individuals discover strategies to cope with their sound sensitivity. Lottie anticipates seeing her relatives over the holidays, but says a key strategy she'll cope is by wearing her noise-cancelling devices - particularly at the holiday meal. In her case, Christmas is a particularly difficult period as the auditory triggers of other people chewing, drinking noisily and breathing heavily make her feel extremely uncomfortable. "There's this feeling of instant dread, my every muscle will just tighten and it seems as if I'm in peril, and I need to somehow control these triggers." Lottie has lived with sound sensitivity since she was 16 and for her that renders the festive season "incredibly overwhelming". Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to specific noises, notably sounds produced by individuals. It is prevalent amongst adults. A study reported almost one in five people experience it. Typically it's sounds connected to bodily functions that cause distress, as well as examples such as chewing, heavy breathing, and foot tapping. 'Anxiety Inducing' The sufferer notes: "I face so many different triggering sounds at Christmas and that can be stressful and make you want to avoid it. "My family are supportive, but I'm very aware that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a constant struggle 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 stressful ordeal for affected individuals. Triggers that may appear innocuous, like someone sipping a beverage, unwrapping gifts, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can provoke a visceral feeling that can even cause them avoiding social settings altogether. Jenna is already thinking about strategies to get her through Christmas lunch. She, a young adult, who has dealt with sound sensitivity since aged 10, states her strategy is to use headphones to manage the meal. On any other day, she would usually isolate herself in a different room to escape problematic noises. She explains her sensitivity is more pronounced around people she's most familiar with, so the holidays is always "challenging". "There is pressure to be around loved ones, and I desire to, but it's physically and mentally challenging. "The sensation is this sudden rage comes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel anxious and burst into tears and then the stress response will take over. "To others it appears as if I'm being oversensitive and melodramatic, but it's hard to explain unless you've experienced it." A Few Techniques to Cope If you suffer then there are some different techniques you can use to handle the situation, based on advice from experts. Picture Something Else: Creative thinking is key. Try to associate the triggering sound causing distress with an unrelated image. As an illustration, try to picture someone's slurping is just a gentle stream. This technique is to help your brain learn that the sound triggering you is neutral. Use Humor: Have a bit of fun and make the irritating noise into a game involving the source. For instance, if someone is crunching loudly have a go at copying the noise. Through participation, rather than feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an engaged person. And the competition element should help redirect your focus and make you slightly more tolerant. Develop a Narrative: A further strategy is to try to fabricate an explanation about why the person making the noise is behaving that way. For example if someone was sniffing, perhaps they're not feeling well or could be emotional. By doing this is altering the perception of the sound. While the noise remains identical, your reaction of it moves from being aggravating, to feeling a little more neutral about it.