🔗 Share this article The Holiday Season Transforms Into a Living Hell for Those with Misophonia. Over the years, sufferers have found ways to cope with their condition. One young woman anticipates spending time with her loved ones this Christmas, but says a key strategy she'll cope is by wearing her noise-cancelling devices - notably for Christmas dinner. For the 23-year-old, Christmas often feels like a especially challenging season as the auditory triggers of other people chewing, slurping and breathing heavily trigger intense distress. "I experience this sensation of instant dread, my whole body will just tighten and it feels like I'm in peril, and I need to somehow control these noises." Lottie has lived with sound sensitivity since she was 16 and for her that makes the holiday period "incredibly overwhelming". Misophonia is a decreased threshold to certain sounds, particularly those made by those around you. It's surprisingly common in the UK. Researchers found nearly 20% people are affected by it. Frequently it's noises connected to eating or drinking that lead to discomfort, as well as things like crunching, heavy breathing, and pen clicking. Triggering Stress She explains: "There are so many different triggering sounds at Christmas and that can be anxiety inducing and make you fear it. "Those close to me 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 managing my symptoms to ensure others enjoy themselves." So it's easy to understand why the most wonderful time of the year can quickly turn into a stressful ordeal for those with the condition. Sounds that may appear innocuous, like someone sipping a beverage, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or enjoying festive food can trigger a powerful reaction that can even lead to them withdrawing from gatherings. Another individual is considering strategies to get her through the holiday dinner. The student, a university student, who has experienced misophonia for over a decade, says her strategy is to listen to music to manage the meal. Usually, she would frequently go in a different room to escape distressing triggers. She explains her sensitivity is more pronounced around people she's closest to, so the holidays is always "hard". "People assume you to be around loved ones, and I want to, but it's exhausting on all levels. "It's like this uncontrollable anger takes hold, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel anxious and burst into tears and then fight-or-flight will take over. "To others it appears as if I'm being difficult and dramatic, but it's hard to explain without firsthand experience." Three Ways to Cope If it's an issue then there are various strategies you can try to cope the situation, based on advice from specialists. Picture Something Else: Mental imagery is key. Work on connecting the particular sound bothering you with a neutral concept. So for example, try to envision someone's noisy drinking is just a sink draining water. This technique is to help your brain learn that the sound affecting you isn't harmful. Try a Competition: Have a bit of fun and make the irritating noise into a competition with the culprit. For example, if someone is eating noisily have a go at mimicking the sound. By joining in, rather than feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an willing part. And the game aspect should help distract your brain and make you somewhat less sensitive. Craft a Story: A further strategy is to try to invent a reason about why the person making the noise is behaving that way. So if someone was sniffing, it could be that they're not feeling well or could be emotional. This approach is re-framing the context of the sound. Even though the noise doesn't change, your reaction of it changes from being annoying, to feeling a slightly more compassionate towards it.
Over the years, sufferers have found ways to cope with their condition. One young woman anticipates spending time with her loved ones this Christmas, but says a key strategy she'll cope is by wearing her noise-cancelling devices - notably for Christmas dinner. For the 23-year-old, Christmas often feels like a especially challenging season as the auditory triggers of other people chewing, slurping and breathing heavily trigger intense distress. "I experience this sensation of instant dread, my whole body will just tighten and it feels like I'm in peril, and I need to somehow control these noises." Lottie has lived with sound sensitivity since she was 16 and for her that makes the holiday period "incredibly overwhelming". Misophonia is a decreased threshold to certain sounds, particularly those made by those around you. It's surprisingly common in the UK. Researchers found nearly 20% people are affected by it. Frequently it's noises connected to eating or drinking that lead to discomfort, as well as things like crunching, heavy breathing, and pen clicking. Triggering Stress She explains: "There are so many different triggering sounds at Christmas and that can be anxiety inducing and make you fear it. "Those close to me 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 managing my symptoms to ensure others enjoy themselves." So it's easy to understand why the most wonderful time of the year can quickly turn into a stressful ordeal for those with the condition. Sounds that may appear innocuous, like someone sipping a beverage, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or enjoying festive food can trigger a powerful reaction that can even lead to them withdrawing from gatherings. Another individual is considering strategies to get her through the holiday dinner. The student, a university student, who has experienced misophonia for over a decade, says her strategy is to listen to music to manage the meal. Usually, she would frequently go in a different room to escape distressing triggers. She explains her sensitivity is more pronounced around people she's closest to, so the holidays is always "hard". "People assume you to be around loved ones, and I want to, but it's exhausting on all levels. "It's like this uncontrollable anger takes hold, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel anxious and burst into tears and then fight-or-flight will take over. "To others it appears as if I'm being difficult and dramatic, but it's hard to explain without firsthand experience." Three Ways to Cope If it's an issue then there are various strategies you can try to cope the situation, based on advice from specialists. Picture Something Else: Mental imagery is key. Work on connecting the particular sound bothering you with a neutral concept. So for example, try to envision someone's noisy drinking is just a sink draining water. This technique is to help your brain learn that the sound affecting you isn't harmful. Try a Competition: Have a bit of fun and make the irritating noise into a competition with the culprit. For example, if someone is eating noisily have a go at mimicking the sound. By joining in, rather than feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an willing part. And the game aspect should help distract your brain and make you somewhat less sensitive. Craft a Story: A further strategy is to try to invent a reason about why the person making the noise is behaving that way. So if someone was sniffing, it could be that they're not feeling well or could be emotional. This approach is re-framing the context of the sound. Even though the noise doesn't change, your reaction of it changes from being annoying, to feeling a slightly more compassionate towards it.