🔗 Share this article Yuletide Can Be a Nightmare for Misophonia Sufferers. Through experience, people develop strategies to try to better manage their sound sensitivity. One young woman is looking forward to seeing her loved ones during the festive period, but admits a primary method she'll endure is by relying on her hearing protection - notably for Christmas dinner. For her, Christmas often feels like a especially challenging time as the sounds of people eating, sipping loudly and sniffling trigger extremely uncomfortable. "I get this wave of immediate anxiety, my every muscle will just tighten and it as though I'm in peril, and I need to manage these sounds." The individual has lived with misophonia from a young age and for her that renders the festive season "deeply taxing". Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to certain sounds, especially noises coming from those around you. It is prevalent across the population. Researchers found almost one in five people are affected by it. Typically it's sounds connected to bodily functions that lead to discomfort, as well as things like crunching, heavy breathing, and repetitive finger tapping. Triggering Stress The sufferer notes: "There are so many different triggering sounds at Christmas and that can be stressful and make you want to avoid it. "Those close to me are understanding, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a constant struggle of enduring my distress to make sure the event goes smoothly." So it's easy to understand why the most wonderful season can transform into a source of agony for those with the condition. Noises that may appear innocuous, like someone drinking champagne, unwrapping gifts, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can provoke a strong emotional response that can even cause them withdrawing from gatherings. A 21-year-old student is planning ways to get her through Christmas lunch. The student, a young adult, who has struggled with misophonia for over a decade, says the approach she intends to use is to put her earphones in to cope. On any other day, she would often retreat in a quiet area to avoid problematic noises. She says her condition is more intense around people she's closest to, so Christmas is always "difficult". "People assume you to socialize with loved ones, and I desire to, but it's physically and mentally challenging. "I feel as if this uncontrollable anger comes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel panicked and begin to weep and then fight-or-flight will take over. "To others it appears as if I'm being oversensitive and overreacting, but it's difficult to convey without firsthand experience." Three Ways to Cope If you suffer then there are various strategies you can use to handle the situation, according to clinical psychologists. Imagine Something Else: Imagination is crucial. Try to associate the triggering sound affecting you with an unrelated image. So for example, try to envision someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. This technique is to teach your brain that the sound affecting you isn't harmful. Use Humor: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a competition with the culprit. For example, if someone is crunching loudly attempt mimicking the sound. Through participation, instead of feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an willing part. And the challenge should help redirect your focus and make you somewhat less sensitive. Create a Scenario: One more method is to try to create a little story about why the person making the noise is behaving that way. So if someone was making a nasal sound, perhaps they're not in good health or are troubled. This approach is re-framing the context of the sound. Although the noise doesn't change, your interpretation of it changes from being irritating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate about it.
Through experience, people develop strategies to try to better manage their sound sensitivity. One young woman is looking forward to seeing her loved ones during the festive period, but admits a primary method she'll endure is by relying on her hearing protection - notably for Christmas dinner. For her, Christmas often feels like a especially challenging time as the sounds of people eating, sipping loudly and sniffling trigger extremely uncomfortable. "I get this wave of immediate anxiety, my every muscle will just tighten and it as though I'm in peril, and I need to manage these sounds." The individual has lived with misophonia from a young age and for her that renders the festive season "deeply taxing". Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to certain sounds, especially noises coming from those around you. It is prevalent across the population. Researchers found almost one in five people are affected by it. Typically it's sounds connected to bodily functions that lead to discomfort, as well as things like crunching, heavy breathing, and repetitive finger tapping. Triggering Stress The sufferer notes: "There are so many different triggering sounds at Christmas and that can be stressful and make you want to avoid it. "Those close to me are understanding, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a constant struggle of enduring my distress to make sure the event goes smoothly." So it's easy to understand why the most wonderful season can transform into a source of agony for those with the condition. Noises that may appear innocuous, like someone drinking champagne, unwrapping gifts, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can provoke a strong emotional response that can even cause them withdrawing from gatherings. A 21-year-old student is planning ways to get her through Christmas lunch. The student, a young adult, who has struggled with misophonia for over a decade, says the approach she intends to use is to put her earphones in to cope. On any other day, she would often retreat in a quiet area to avoid problematic noises. She says her condition is more intense around people she's closest to, so Christmas is always "difficult". "People assume you to socialize with loved ones, and I desire to, but it's physically and mentally challenging. "I feel as if this uncontrollable anger comes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel panicked and begin to weep and then fight-or-flight will take over. "To others it appears as if I'm being oversensitive and overreacting, but it's difficult to convey without firsthand experience." Three Ways to Cope If you suffer then there are various strategies you can use to handle the situation, according to clinical psychologists. Imagine Something Else: Imagination is crucial. Try to associate the triggering sound affecting you with an unrelated image. So for example, try to envision someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. This technique is to teach your brain that the sound affecting you isn't harmful. Use Humor: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a competition with the culprit. For example, if someone is crunching loudly attempt mimicking the sound. Through participation, instead of feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an willing part. And the challenge should help redirect your focus and make you somewhat less sensitive. Create a Scenario: One more method is to try to create a little story about why the person making the noise is behaving that way. So if someone was making a nasal sound, perhaps they're not in good health or are troubled. This approach is re-framing the context of the sound. Although the noise doesn't change, your interpretation of it changes from being irritating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate about it.