🔗 Share this article Christmas Often Proves to Be a Terrifying Experience for Misophonia Sufferers. With time, sufferers have found ways to cope with their sound sensitivity. Lottie anticipates seeing her family over the holidays, but says a primary method she'll endure is by wearing her earplugs - especially during the main festive feast. For her, this time of year is a notably tough time as the sounds of other people chewing, drinking noisily and nose-blowing trigger profound anxiety. "There's this feeling of sudden panic, my every muscle will just freeze and it as though I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to somehow control these noises." The individual has lived with sound sensitivity for several years and for her that renders the holiday period "incredibly overwhelming". Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to specific noises, particularly those made by individuals. It is prevalent amongst adults. Researchers reported nearly 20% people are affected by it. Frequently it's sounds associated with bodily functions that trigger a reaction, including examples such as crunching, heavy breathing, and repetitive finger tapping. A Source of Dread The sufferer notes: "I face so many various auditory triggers at Christmas and that can be anxiety inducing and make you dread it. "Those close to me are supportive, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a internal conflict of managing my symptoms to ensure others enjoy themselves." So it's easy to understand why the supposedly joyous time of the year can transform into a source of agony for sufferers. Sounds that may appear innocuous, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, unwrapping gifts, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can provoke a strong emotional response that can even result in them withdrawing from gatherings. Another individual is already thinking about coping mechanisms to help her during the family meal. The student, a young adult, who has struggled with sound sensitivity since aged 10, says her strategy is to listen to music to get through dinner. Usually, she would often retreat in a separate space to minimize problematic noises. She explains her misophonia is more intense around people she's closest to, so Christmas is always "difficult". "There's an expectation to be around family, and I desire to, but it's exhausting on all levels. "I feel as if this uncontrollable anger washes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel stressed and burst into tears and then panic will kick in. "To others it appears as if I'm being difficult and overreacting, but it's hard to explain if you haven't felt it." Several Strategies to Handle It If it's an issue then there are a few methods you can attempt to manage the situation, as suggested by clinical psychologists. Imagine Something Else: Creative thinking is key. Work on connecting the triggering sound bothering you with something completely different. For instance, try to envision someone's noisy drinking is just a waterfall. This technique is to retrain your mind that the sound triggering you isn't harmful. Make it a Game: Have a bit of fun and make the irritating noise into a challenge with the person. For instance, if someone is eating noisily try mimicking the sound. By mimicking, instead of feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an engaged person. And the competition element should help shift your attention and make you somewhat less sensitive. Craft a Story: Another technique is to try to invent a reason about why the person making the noise is having to make that sound. 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 sound stays the same, your understanding of it moves from being aggravating, to feeling a little more neutral about it.
With time, sufferers have found ways to cope with their sound sensitivity. Lottie anticipates seeing her family over the holidays, but says a primary method she'll endure is by wearing her earplugs - especially during the main festive feast. For her, this time of year is a notably tough time as the sounds of other people chewing, drinking noisily and nose-blowing trigger profound anxiety. "There's this feeling of sudden panic, my every muscle will just freeze and it as though I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to somehow control these noises." The individual has lived with sound sensitivity for several years and for her that renders the holiday period "incredibly overwhelming". Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to specific noises, particularly those made by individuals. It is prevalent amongst adults. Researchers reported nearly 20% people are affected by it. Frequently it's sounds associated with bodily functions that trigger a reaction, including examples such as crunching, heavy breathing, and repetitive finger tapping. A Source of Dread The sufferer notes: "I face so many various auditory triggers at Christmas and that can be anxiety inducing and make you dread it. "Those close to me are supportive, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a internal conflict of managing my symptoms to ensure others enjoy themselves." So it's easy to understand why the supposedly joyous time of the year can transform into a source of agony for sufferers. Sounds that may appear innocuous, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, unwrapping gifts, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can provoke a strong emotional response that can even result in them withdrawing from gatherings. Another individual is already thinking about coping mechanisms to help her during the family meal. The student, a young adult, who has struggled with sound sensitivity since aged 10, says her strategy is to listen to music to get through dinner. Usually, she would often retreat in a separate space to minimize problematic noises. She explains her misophonia is more intense around people she's closest to, so Christmas is always "difficult". "There's an expectation to be around family, and I desire to, but it's exhausting on all levels. "I feel as if this uncontrollable anger washes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel stressed and burst into tears and then panic will kick in. "To others it appears as if I'm being difficult and overreacting, but it's hard to explain if you haven't felt it." Several Strategies to Handle It If it's an issue then there are a few methods you can attempt to manage the situation, as suggested by clinical psychologists. Imagine Something Else: Creative thinking is key. Work on connecting the triggering sound bothering you with something completely different. For instance, try to envision someone's noisy drinking is just a waterfall. This technique is to retrain your mind that the sound triggering you isn't harmful. Make it a Game: Have a bit of fun and make the irritating noise into a challenge with the person. For instance, if someone is eating noisily try mimicking the sound. By mimicking, instead of feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an engaged person. And the competition element should help shift your attention and make you somewhat less sensitive. Craft a Story: Another technique is to try to invent a reason about why the person making the noise is having to make that sound. 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 sound stays the same, your understanding of it moves from being aggravating, to feeling a little more neutral about it.