🔗 Share this article Yuletide Often Proves to Be a Living Hell for Those with Misophonia. With time, sufferers develop strategies to cope with their sound sensitivity. Lottie anticipates seeing her relatives this Christmas, but admits one of the only ways she'll endure is by wearing her hearing protection - notably for the main festive feast. In her case, Christmas can be a particularly difficult period as the auditory triggers of other people chewing, slurping and nose-blowing trigger profound anxiety. "There's this sensation of instant dread, my entire being will just tighten and it feels like I'm in peril, and I need to manage these sounds." Lottie has suffered from sound sensitivity for several years and for her that renders the Christmas time "deeply taxing". Misophonia is a decreased threshold to specific noises, particularly those coming from other people. The condition is widespread across the population. Experts discovered nearly 20% people experience it. Typically it's sounds linked to mouth, throat or facial movements that trigger a reaction, including examples such as crunching, breathing, and pen clicking. A Source of Dread Lottie says: "I face so many assorted problematic noises at Christmas and that can be daunting and make you fear it. "Those close to me are supportive, but I'm very aware that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a really big battle of managing my symptoms to guarantee everyone else is happy." So it's clear why the most wonderful season can transform into a stressful ordeal for sufferers. Sounds that may appear innocuous, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, unwrapping gifts, or eating the holiday meal can cause a powerful reaction that can even cause them avoiding social settings altogether. A 21-year-old student is considering strategies to help her during Christmas lunch. She, a 21-year-old student, who has struggled with misophonia from childhood, states currently her plan is to use headphones to manage the meal. On any other day, she would often retreat in a quiet area to minimize triggering sounds. She notes her misophonia is more pronounced around people she's closest to, so the holidays is always "hard". "There is pressure to spend time with loved ones, and I wish to, but it's physically and mentally challenging. "The sensation is this intense irritation comes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel panicked and burst into tears and then the stress response will take over. "It can come across as if I'm being difficult and overreacting, but it's hard to explain unless you've experienced it." Three Ways to Cope For those affected then there are a few methods you can try to cope the situation, according to specialists. Imagine an Alternative: Creative thinking is crucial. Try to associate the triggering sound causing distress with an unrelated image. As an illustration, try to envision someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. The goal is to teach your brain that the sound triggering you poses no threat. Try a Competition: Introduce playfulness and turn the annoying sound into a competition with the culprit. For example, if someone is crunching loudly have a go at joining in. Through participation, rather than feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an willing part. And the game aspect should help distract your brain and make you somewhat less sensitive. Craft a Story: A further strategy is to try to create a little story about the reason someone making the noise is behaving that way. For example if someone was sniffing, it could be that they're not feeling well or maybe they're upset. This approach is re-framing the context of the sound. Although the noise remains identical, your understanding of it shifts from being annoying, to feeling a slightly more compassionate towards it.
With time, sufferers develop strategies to cope with their sound sensitivity. Lottie anticipates seeing her relatives this Christmas, but admits one of the only ways she'll endure is by wearing her hearing protection - notably for the main festive feast. In her case, Christmas can be a particularly difficult period as the auditory triggers of other people chewing, slurping and nose-blowing trigger profound anxiety. "There's this sensation of instant dread, my entire being will just tighten and it feels like I'm in peril, and I need to manage these sounds." Lottie has suffered from sound sensitivity for several years and for her that renders the Christmas time "deeply taxing". Misophonia is a decreased threshold to specific noises, particularly those coming from other people. The condition is widespread across the population. Experts discovered nearly 20% people experience it. Typically it's sounds linked to mouth, throat or facial movements that trigger a reaction, including examples such as crunching, breathing, and pen clicking. A Source of Dread Lottie says: "I face so many assorted problematic noises at Christmas and that can be daunting and make you fear it. "Those close to me are supportive, but I'm very aware that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a really big battle of managing my symptoms to guarantee everyone else is happy." So it's clear why the most wonderful season can transform into a stressful ordeal for sufferers. Sounds that may appear innocuous, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, unwrapping gifts, or eating the holiday meal can cause a powerful reaction that can even cause them avoiding social settings altogether. A 21-year-old student is considering strategies to help her during Christmas lunch. She, a 21-year-old student, who has struggled with misophonia from childhood, states currently her plan is to use headphones to manage the meal. On any other day, she would often retreat in a quiet area to minimize triggering sounds. She notes her misophonia is more pronounced around people she's closest to, so the holidays is always "hard". "There is pressure to spend time with loved ones, and I wish to, but it's physically and mentally challenging. "The sensation is this intense irritation comes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel panicked and burst into tears and then the stress response will take over. "It can come across as if I'm being difficult and overreacting, but it's hard to explain unless you've experienced it." Three Ways to Cope For those affected then there are a few methods you can try to cope the situation, according to specialists. Imagine an Alternative: Creative thinking is crucial. Try to associate the triggering sound causing distress with an unrelated image. As an illustration, try to envision someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. The goal is to teach your brain that the sound triggering you poses no threat. Try a Competition: Introduce playfulness and turn the annoying sound into a competition with the culprit. For example, if someone is crunching loudly have a go at joining in. Through participation, rather than feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an willing part. And the game aspect should help distract your brain and make you somewhat less sensitive. Craft a Story: A further strategy is to try to create a little story about the reason someone making the noise is behaving that way. For example if someone was sniffing, it could be that they're not feeling well or maybe they're upset. This approach is re-framing the context of the sound. Although the noise remains identical, your understanding of it shifts from being annoying, to feeling a slightly more compassionate towards it.