🔗 Share this article The Holiday Season Transforms Into a Terrifying Experience for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity. With time, sufferers have found strategies to try to better manage their misophonia. A 23-year-old anticipates being with her loved ones this Christmas, but says a key strategy she'll manage to get through it is by relying on her noise-cancelling devices - notably for the holiday meal. In her case, the holidays is a particularly difficult time as the sounds of family members munching, slurping and sniffling trigger extremely uncomfortable. "I experience this wave of instant dread, my whole body will just tense up and it as though I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to somehow control these sounds." The individual has lived with sound sensitivity for several years and for her that causes the holiday period "incredibly overwhelming". Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to specific noises, particularly those coming from those around you. It's surprisingly common across the population. A study reported a significant portion of people experience it. Frequently it's sounds connected to bodily functions that cause distress, along with examples such as chewing, breathing, and foot tapping. 'Anxiety Inducing' Lottie says: "There are so many various auditory triggers at the holidays and that can be stressful and make you want to avoid it. "My family are aware, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a really big battle of enduring my distress to ensure the event goes smoothly." So it's easy to understand why the traditionally happy time of the year can transform into a stressful ordeal for affected individuals. Noises that may be considered normal, like someone drinking champagne, opening presents, or eating the holiday meal can trigger a visceral feeling that can even cause them avoiding social settings altogether. A 21-year-old student is planning strategies to get her through the holiday dinner. She, a young adult, who has struggled with misophonia for over a decade, states currently her plan is to use headphones to get through dinner. Usually, she would frequently go in a different room to avoid problematic noises. She explains her condition is worse around people she's closest to, so the holidays is always "difficult". "There is pressure to spend time with family, and I wish to, but it's draining. "It's like this intense irritation comes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel anxious and immediately start crying and then the stress response will activate. "To others it appears as if I'm being unreasonable and overreacting, but it's difficult to convey if you haven't felt it." A Few Techniques to Manage For those affected then there are a few methods you can use to handle the situation, as suggested by clinical psychologists. Visualise a Different Scenario: Creative thinking is essential. Work on connecting the triggering sound causing distress with an unrelated image. As an illustration, try to picture someone's noisy drinking is just a waterfall. 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 challenge with the culprit. For example, if someone is crunching loudly try copying the noise. By joining in, instead of 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. Develop a Narrative: Another technique is to try to fabricate an explanation about the reason someone making the noise is behaving that way. For example if someone was sniffing, perhaps they're not feeling well or are troubled. This approach is changing the meaning of the sound. Even though the noise stays the same, your interpretation of it changes from being aggravating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate towards it.
With time, sufferers have found strategies to try to better manage their misophonia. A 23-year-old anticipates being with her loved ones this Christmas, but says a key strategy she'll manage to get through it is by relying on her noise-cancelling devices - notably for the holiday meal. In her case, the holidays is a particularly difficult time as the sounds of family members munching, slurping and sniffling trigger extremely uncomfortable. "I experience this wave of instant dread, my whole body will just tense up and it as though I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to somehow control these sounds." The individual has lived with sound sensitivity for several years and for her that causes the holiday period "incredibly overwhelming". Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to specific noises, particularly those coming from those around you. It's surprisingly common across the population. A study reported a significant portion of people experience it. Frequently it's sounds connected to bodily functions that cause distress, along with examples such as chewing, breathing, and foot tapping. 'Anxiety Inducing' Lottie says: "There are so many various auditory triggers at the holidays and that can be stressful and make you want to avoid it. "My family are aware, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a really big battle of enduring my distress to ensure the event goes smoothly." So it's easy to understand why the traditionally happy time of the year can transform into a stressful ordeal for affected individuals. Noises that may be considered normal, like someone drinking champagne, opening presents, or eating the holiday meal can trigger a visceral feeling that can even cause them avoiding social settings altogether. A 21-year-old student is planning strategies to get her through the holiday dinner. She, a young adult, who has struggled with misophonia for over a decade, states currently her plan is to use headphones to get through dinner. Usually, she would frequently go in a different room to avoid problematic noises. She explains her condition is worse around people she's closest to, so the holidays is always "difficult". "There is pressure to spend time with family, and I wish to, but it's draining. "It's like this intense irritation comes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel anxious and immediately start crying and then the stress response will activate. "To others it appears as if I'm being unreasonable and overreacting, but it's difficult to convey if you haven't felt it." A Few Techniques to Manage For those affected then there are a few methods you can use to handle the situation, as suggested by clinical psychologists. Visualise a Different Scenario: Creative thinking is essential. Work on connecting the triggering sound causing distress with an unrelated image. As an illustration, try to picture someone's noisy drinking is just a waterfall. 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 challenge with the culprit. For example, if someone is crunching loudly try copying the noise. By joining in, instead of 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. Develop a Narrative: Another technique is to try to fabricate an explanation about the reason someone making the noise is behaving that way. For example if someone was sniffing, perhaps they're not feeling well or are troubled. This approach is changing the meaning of the sound. Even though the noise stays the same, your interpretation of it changes from being aggravating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate towards it.