🔗 Share this article Christmas Can Be a Living Hell for Misophonia Sufferers. Through experience, people develop ways to try to better manage their condition. Lottie anticipates being with her loved ones this Christmas, but admits one of the only ways she'll endure is by using her hearing protection - particularly at Christmas dinner. For the 23-year-old, Christmas can be a notably tough season as the noises of family members munching, drinking noisily and breathing heavily trigger extremely uncomfortable. "I get this sensation of immediate anxiety, my entire being will just tighten and it as though I'm in danger, and I need to manage these sounds." Lottie has suffered from sound sensitivity for several years and for her that makes the holiday period "exceptionally stressful". Misophonia is a decreased threshold to specific noises, especially noises made by individuals. It's surprisingly common in the UK. Researchers reported a significant portion of people experience it. Typically it's sounds connected to eating or drinking that lead to discomfort, along with examples such as chewing, breathing, and foot tapping. 'Anxiety Inducing' The sufferer notes: "You encounter so many various auditory triggers at the holidays and that can be daunting and make you want to avoid it. "My relatives are aware, but I'm very aware that I don't want to upset others. It's like a really big battle of sacrificing my own sanity to make sure others enjoy themselves." So it's obvious why the supposedly joyous time of the year can quickly turn into a living nightmare for affected individuals. Sounds that may seem harmless, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or enjoying festive food can cause a strong emotional response that can even lead to them skipping events entirely. A 21-year-old student is considering strategies to get her through Christmas lunch. Jenna, a 21-year-old student, who has dealt with sound sensitivity for over a decade, states her strategy is to put her earphones in to cope. On any other day, she would usually isolate herself in a different room to minimize triggering sounds. She explains her condition is worse around people she's most familiar with, so Christmas is always "challenging". "There's an expectation to spend time with family, and I desire to, but it's physically and mentally challenging. "I feel as if this uncontrollable anger takes hold, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel panicked and immediately start crying and then panic will activate. "It can come across as if I'm being difficult and melodramatic, but it's difficult to convey if you haven't felt it." A Few Techniques to Manage For those affected then there are a few methods you can try to cope the situation, according to experts. Picture a Different Scenario: Creative thinking is essential. Attempt to link the specific noise affecting you with an unrelated image. For instance, try to envision someone's slurping is just a sink draining water. This technique is to help your brain learn that the sound triggering you is neutral. Make it a Game: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a game involving the source. For example, if someone is eating noisily have a go at joining in. By mimicking, instead of feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an active participant. And the game aspect should help shift your attention and make you a little less affected. Create a Scenario: One more method is to try to create a little story about the reason someone creating the sound is having to make that sound. So if someone was sniffing, it could be that they're not feeling well or are troubled. The idea is re-framing the context of the sound. Although the noise doesn't change, your understanding of it changes from being annoying, to feeling a slightly more compassionate towards it.
Through experience, people develop ways to try to better manage their condition. Lottie anticipates being with her loved ones this Christmas, but admits one of the only ways she'll endure is by using her hearing protection - particularly at Christmas dinner. For the 23-year-old, Christmas can be a notably tough season as the noises of family members munching, drinking noisily and breathing heavily trigger extremely uncomfortable. "I get this sensation of immediate anxiety, my entire being will just tighten and it as though I'm in danger, and I need to manage these sounds." Lottie has suffered from sound sensitivity for several years and for her that makes the holiday period "exceptionally stressful". Misophonia is a decreased threshold to specific noises, especially noises made by individuals. It's surprisingly common in the UK. Researchers reported a significant portion of people experience it. Typically it's sounds connected to eating or drinking that lead to discomfort, along with examples such as chewing, breathing, and foot tapping. 'Anxiety Inducing' The sufferer notes: "You encounter so many various auditory triggers at the holidays and that can be daunting and make you want to avoid it. "My relatives are aware, but I'm very aware that I don't want to upset others. It's like a really big battle of sacrificing my own sanity to make sure others enjoy themselves." So it's obvious why the supposedly joyous time of the year can quickly turn into a living nightmare for affected individuals. Sounds that may seem harmless, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or enjoying festive food can cause a strong emotional response that can even lead to them skipping events entirely. A 21-year-old student is considering strategies to get her through Christmas lunch. Jenna, a 21-year-old student, who has dealt with sound sensitivity for over a decade, states her strategy is to put her earphones in to cope. On any other day, she would usually isolate herself in a different room to minimize triggering sounds. She explains her condition is worse around people she's most familiar with, so Christmas is always "challenging". "There's an expectation to spend time with family, and I desire to, but it's physically and mentally challenging. "I feel as if this uncontrollable anger takes hold, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel panicked and immediately start crying and then panic will activate. "It can come across as if I'm being difficult and melodramatic, but it's difficult to convey if you haven't felt it." A Few Techniques to Manage For those affected then there are a few methods you can try to cope the situation, according to experts. Picture a Different Scenario: Creative thinking is essential. Attempt to link the specific noise affecting you with an unrelated image. For instance, try to envision someone's slurping is just a sink draining water. This technique is to help your brain learn that the sound triggering you is neutral. Make it a Game: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a game involving the source. For example, if someone is eating noisily have a go at joining in. By mimicking, instead of feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an active participant. And the game aspect should help shift your attention and make you a little less affected. Create a Scenario: One more method is to try to create a little story about the reason someone creating the sound is having to make that sound. So if someone was sniffing, it could be that they're not feeling well or are troubled. The idea is re-framing the context of the sound. Although the noise doesn't change, your understanding of it changes from being annoying, to feeling a slightly more compassionate towards it.