🔗 Share this article The Holiday Season Transforms Into a Terrifying Experience for Misophonia Sufferers. Through experience, people develop methods to try to better manage their condition. A 23-year-old is looking forward to seeing her loved ones during the festive period, but admits one of the only ways she'll endure is by wearing her hearing protection - notably for Christmas dinner. For her, Christmas can be a particularly difficult period as the noises of people eating, drinking noisily and nose-blowing trigger intense distress. "I get this feeling of immediate anxiety, my every muscle will just tighten and it as though I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to stop these triggers." She has experienced sound sensitivity for several years and for her that makes the festive season "deeply taxing". Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to certain sounds, notably sounds produced by individuals. It is prevalent across the population. Researchers reported almost one in five people suffer from it. Often it's noises connected to eating or drinking that lead to discomfort, along with things like crunching, breathing, and foot tapping. A Source of Dread The sufferer notes: "You encounter so many assorted problematic noises at Christmas and that can be anxiety inducing and make you want to avoid it. "Those close to me are supportive, but I'm very aware that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a internal conflict of managing my symptoms to make sure everyone else is happy." So it's easy to understand why the supposedly joyous season can rapidly become a source of agony for those with the condition. Noises that may be considered normal, like someone sipping a beverage, opening presents, or enjoying festive food can cause a strong emotional response that can even result in them avoiding social settings altogether. Another individual is considering strategies to help her during the family meal. Jenna, a university student, who has experienced sound sensitivity since aged 10, explains currently her plan is to put her earphones in to get through dinner. Usually, she would frequently go in a quiet area to avoid triggering sounds. She says her sensitivity is worse around people she's closest to, so the holidays is always "difficult". "There's an expectation to spend time with family, and I wish to, but it's draining. "The sensation is this intense irritation comes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel anxious and immediately start crying and then the stress response will kick in. "It may seem as if I'm being difficult and melodramatic, but it's hard to explain without firsthand experience." A Few Techniques to Manage If you suffer then there are some different techniques you can try to cope the situation, based on advice from clinical psychologists. Picture a Different Scenario: Creative thinking is essential. Attempt to link the specific noise bothering you with something completely different. As an illustration, try to envision someone's slurping is just a gentle stream. The goal is to help your brain learn that the sound triggering you isn't harmful. Use Humor: Use lightheartedness and turn the annoying sound into a competition with the person. For instance, if someone is eating noisily have a go at mimicking the sound. By mimicking, rather than feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an active participant. And the game aspect should help distract your brain and make you a little less affected. Develop a Narrative: A further strategy is to try to fabricate an explanation about the reason someone making the noise is doing it. So if someone was sniffing, it could be that they're not in good health or are troubled. By doing this is re-framing the context of the sound. Although the sound stays the same, your interpretation of it moves from being irritating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate towards it.
Through experience, people develop methods to try to better manage their condition. A 23-year-old is looking forward to seeing her loved ones during the festive period, but admits one of the only ways she'll endure is by wearing her hearing protection - notably for Christmas dinner. For her, Christmas can be a particularly difficult period as the noises of people eating, drinking noisily and nose-blowing trigger intense distress. "I get this feeling of immediate anxiety, my every muscle will just tighten and it as though I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to stop these triggers." She has experienced sound sensitivity for several years and for her that makes the festive season "deeply taxing". Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to certain sounds, notably sounds produced by individuals. It is prevalent across the population. Researchers reported almost one in five people suffer from it. Often it's noises connected to eating or drinking that lead to discomfort, along with things like crunching, breathing, and foot tapping. A Source of Dread The sufferer notes: "You encounter so many assorted problematic noises at Christmas and that can be anxiety inducing and make you want to avoid it. "Those close to me are supportive, but I'm very aware that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a internal conflict of managing my symptoms to make sure everyone else is happy." So it's easy to understand why the supposedly joyous season can rapidly become a source of agony for those with the condition. Noises that may be considered normal, like someone sipping a beverage, opening presents, or enjoying festive food can cause a strong emotional response that can even result in them avoiding social settings altogether. Another individual is considering strategies to help her during the family meal. Jenna, a university student, who has experienced sound sensitivity since aged 10, explains currently her plan is to put her earphones in to get through dinner. Usually, she would frequently go in a quiet area to avoid triggering sounds. She says her sensitivity is worse around people she's closest to, so the holidays is always "difficult". "There's an expectation to spend time with family, and I wish to, but it's draining. "The sensation is this intense irritation comes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel anxious and immediately start crying and then the stress response will kick in. "It may seem as if I'm being difficult and melodramatic, but it's hard to explain without firsthand experience." A Few Techniques to Manage If you suffer then there are some different techniques you can try to cope the situation, based on advice from clinical psychologists. Picture a Different Scenario: Creative thinking is essential. Attempt to link the specific noise bothering you with something completely different. As an illustration, try to envision someone's slurping is just a gentle stream. The goal is to help your brain learn that the sound triggering you isn't harmful. Use Humor: Use lightheartedness and turn the annoying sound into a competition with the person. For instance, if someone is eating noisily have a go at mimicking the sound. By mimicking, rather than feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an active participant. And the game aspect should help distract your brain and make you a little less affected. Develop a Narrative: A further strategy is to try to fabricate an explanation about the reason someone making the noise is doing it. So if someone was sniffing, it could be that they're not in good health or are troubled. By doing this is re-framing the context of the sound. Although the sound stays the same, your interpretation of it moves from being irritating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate towards it.