🔗 Share this article Yuletide Transforms Into a Terrifying Experience for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity. Over the years, individuals discover methods to handle their misophonia. A 23-year-old is looking forward to seeing her family over the holidays, but admits a key strategy she'll cope is by wearing her noise-cancelling devices - notably for Christmas dinner. For her, the holidays often feels like a notably tough season as the noises of family members munching, sipping loudly and nose-blowing cause her extremely uncomfortable. "I get this feeling of immediate anxiety, my entire being will just tighten and it seems as if I'm in peril, and I need to manage these sounds." She has lived with sound sensitivity since she was 16 and for her that makes the festive season "deeply taxing". Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to particular auditory triggers, especially noises coming from other people. The condition is widespread in the UK. Researchers discovered a significant portion of people experience it. Often it's sounds linked to bodily functions that cause distress, including things like chewing, heavy breathing, and pen clicking. A Source of Dread She explains: "You encounter so many assorted problematic noises at the holidays and that can be daunting and make you want to avoid it. "Those close to me are understanding, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a really big battle of enduring my distress to guarantee others enjoy themselves." So it's easy to understand why the most wonderful period can rapidly become a source of agony for affected individuals. Triggers that may appear innocuous, like someone sipping a beverage, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or eating the holiday meal can provoke a strong emotional response that can even lead to them skipping events entirely. A 21-year-old student is already thinking about coping mechanisms to manage the family meal. The student, a young adult, who has struggled with sound sensitivity from childhood, states her strategy is to put her earphones in to get through dinner. On any other day, she would often retreat in a quiet area to minimize problematic noises. She explains her sensitivity is more pronounced around people she's closest to, so Christmas is always "challenging". "People assume you to spend time with family, and I desire to, but it's physically and mentally challenging. "I feel as if this intense irritation comes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel panicked and immediately start crying and then panic will take over. "It can come across as if I'm being oversensitive and dramatic, but it's hard to explain without firsthand experience." Three Ways to Handle It If you suffer then there are a few methods you can try to cope the situation, according to experts. Visualise Something Else: Imagination is key. Try to associate the triggering sound affecting you with a neutral concept. So for example, try to envision someone's noisy drinking is just a waterfall. The goal is to teach your brain that the sound affecting you poses no threat. Use Humor: Use lightheartedness and make the irritating noise into a game with the person. For example, if someone is crunching loudly try mimicking the sound. By mimicking, rather than feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an engaged person. And the game aspect should help distract your brain and make you somewhat less sensitive. Develop a Narrative: A further strategy is to try to fabricate an explanation about why the person making the noise is doing it. For example if someone was making a nasal sound, perhaps they're not at their best or could be emotional. This approach is re-framing the context of the sound. While the noise remains identical, your interpretation of it shifts from being aggravating, to feeling a little more neutral towards it.
Over the years, individuals discover methods to handle their misophonia. A 23-year-old is looking forward to seeing her family over the holidays, but admits a key strategy she'll cope is by wearing her noise-cancelling devices - notably for Christmas dinner. For her, the holidays often feels like a notably tough season as the noises of family members munching, sipping loudly and nose-blowing cause her extremely uncomfortable. "I get this feeling of immediate anxiety, my entire being will just tighten and it seems as if I'm in peril, and I need to manage these sounds." She has lived with sound sensitivity since she was 16 and for her that makes the festive season "deeply taxing". Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to particular auditory triggers, especially noises coming from other people. The condition is widespread in the UK. Researchers discovered a significant portion of people experience it. Often it's sounds linked to bodily functions that cause distress, including things like chewing, heavy breathing, and pen clicking. A Source of Dread She explains: "You encounter so many assorted problematic noises at the holidays and that can be daunting and make you want to avoid it. "Those close to me are understanding, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a really big battle of enduring my distress to guarantee others enjoy themselves." So it's easy to understand why the most wonderful period can rapidly become a source of agony for affected individuals. Triggers that may appear innocuous, like someone sipping a beverage, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or eating the holiday meal can provoke a strong emotional response that can even lead to them skipping events entirely. A 21-year-old student is already thinking about coping mechanisms to manage the family meal. The student, a young adult, who has struggled with sound sensitivity from childhood, states her strategy is to put her earphones in to get through dinner. On any other day, she would often retreat in a quiet area to minimize problematic noises. She explains her sensitivity is more pronounced around people she's closest to, so Christmas is always "challenging". "People assume you to spend time with family, and I desire to, but it's physically and mentally challenging. "I feel as if this intense irritation comes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel panicked and immediately start crying and then panic will take over. "It can come across as if I'm being oversensitive and dramatic, but it's hard to explain without firsthand experience." Three Ways to Handle It If you suffer then there are a few methods you can try to cope the situation, according to experts. Visualise Something Else: Imagination is key. Try to associate the triggering sound affecting you with a neutral concept. So for example, try to envision someone's noisy drinking is just a waterfall. The goal is to teach your brain that the sound affecting you poses no threat. Use Humor: Use lightheartedness and make the irritating noise into a game with the person. For example, if someone is crunching loudly try mimicking the sound. By mimicking, rather than feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an engaged person. And the game aspect should help distract your brain and make you somewhat less sensitive. Develop a Narrative: A further strategy is to try to fabricate an explanation about why the person making the noise is doing it. For example if someone was making a nasal sound, perhaps they're not at their best or could be emotional. This approach is re-framing the context of the sound. While the noise remains identical, your interpretation of it shifts from being aggravating, to feeling a little more neutral towards it.