🔗 Share this article Christmas Often Proves to Be a Nightmare for Misophonia Sufferers. Over the years, people have found ways to cope with their misophonia. A 23-year-old is looking forward to spending time with her loved ones during the festive period, but notes a key strategy she'll cope is by using her hearing protection - particularly at the main festive feast. For her, the holidays often feels like a notably tough season as the auditory triggers of people eating, slurping and nose-blowing make her feel intense distress. "There's this feeling of immediate anxiety, my every muscle will just freeze and it feels like I'm in danger, and I need to manage these noises." The individual has experienced sound sensitivity since she was 16 and for her that causes the Christmas time "incredibly overwhelming". Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to specific noises, especially noises produced by those around you. It's surprisingly common amongst adults. Researchers discovered a significant portion of people experience it. Typically it's noises linked to mouth, throat or facial movements that cause distress, along with things like chewing, heavy breathing, and repetitive finger tapping. A Source of Dread The sufferer notes: "I face so many different triggering sounds at the holidays and that can be anxiety inducing and make you want to avoid it. "My family are understanding, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to upset others. It's like a internal conflict of enduring my distress to ensure everyone else is happy." So it's obvious why the most wonderful period can transform into a stressful ordeal for those with the condition. Sounds that may seem harmless, like someone sipping a beverage, unwrapping gifts, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can cause a visceral feeling that can even lead to them withdrawing from gatherings. A 21-year-old student is planning ways to manage the holiday dinner. She, a young adult, who has struggled with misophonia from childhood, says her strategy is to use headphones to manage the meal. On any other day, she would often retreat in a different room to minimize problematic noises. She says her misophonia is more pronounced around people she's most familiar with, so the holidays is always "hard". "People assume you to socialize with loved ones, and I desire to, but it's draining. "It's like this intense irritation comes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel stressed and begin to weep and then the stress response will kick in. "It may seem as if I'm being oversensitive and melodramatic, but it's tough to describe if you haven't felt it." Three Ways to Handle It If you suffer then there are some different techniques you can attempt to manage the situation, based on advice from clinical psychologists. Imagine a Different Scenario: Mental imagery is crucial. Try to associate the particular sound bothering you with a neutral concept. For instance, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a waterfall. The goal is to retrain your mind that the sound affecting you is neutral. Use Humor: Have a bit of fun and make the irritating noise into a challenge with the culprit. For example, if someone is crunching loudly attempt copying the noise. By joining in, instead of feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an willing part. And the competition element should help shift your attention and make you slightly more tolerant. Develop a Narrative: Another technique is to try to invent a reason about the reason someone making the noise is doing it. For example if someone was sniffing, maybe they are not in good health or maybe they're upset. This approach is re-framing the context of the sound. Although the sound remains identical, your reaction of it changes from being irritating, to feeling a little more neutral towards it.
Over the years, people have found ways to cope with their misophonia. A 23-year-old is looking forward to spending time with her loved ones during the festive period, but notes a key strategy she'll cope is by using her hearing protection - particularly at the main festive feast. For her, the holidays often feels like a notably tough season as the auditory triggers of people eating, slurping and nose-blowing make her feel intense distress. "There's this feeling of immediate anxiety, my every muscle will just freeze and it feels like I'm in danger, and I need to manage these noises." The individual has experienced sound sensitivity since she was 16 and for her that causes the Christmas time "incredibly overwhelming". Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to specific noises, especially noises produced by those around you. It's surprisingly common amongst adults. Researchers discovered a significant portion of people experience it. Typically it's noises linked to mouth, throat or facial movements that cause distress, along with things like chewing, heavy breathing, and repetitive finger tapping. A Source of Dread The sufferer notes: "I face so many different triggering sounds at the holidays and that can be anxiety inducing and make you want to avoid it. "My family are understanding, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to upset others. It's like a internal conflict of enduring my distress to ensure everyone else is happy." So it's obvious why the most wonderful period can transform into a stressful ordeal for those with the condition. Sounds that may seem harmless, like someone sipping a beverage, unwrapping gifts, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can cause a visceral feeling that can even lead to them withdrawing from gatherings. A 21-year-old student is planning ways to manage the holiday dinner. She, a young adult, who has struggled with misophonia from childhood, says her strategy is to use headphones to manage the meal. On any other day, she would often retreat in a different room to minimize problematic noises. She says her misophonia is more pronounced around people she's most familiar with, so the holidays is always "hard". "People assume you to socialize with loved ones, and I desire to, but it's draining. "It's like this intense irritation comes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel stressed and begin to weep and then the stress response will kick in. "It may seem as if I'm being oversensitive and melodramatic, but it's tough to describe if you haven't felt it." Three Ways to Handle It If you suffer then there are some different techniques you can attempt to manage the situation, based on advice from clinical psychologists. Imagine a Different Scenario: Mental imagery is crucial. Try to associate the particular sound bothering you with a neutral concept. For instance, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a waterfall. The goal is to retrain your mind that the sound affecting you is neutral. Use Humor: Have a bit of fun and make the irritating noise into a challenge with the culprit. For example, if someone is crunching loudly attempt copying the noise. By joining in, instead of feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an willing part. And the competition element should help shift your attention and make you slightly more tolerant. Develop a Narrative: Another technique is to try to invent a reason about the reason someone making the noise is doing it. For example if someone was sniffing, maybe they are not in good health or maybe they're upset. This approach is re-framing the context of the sound. Although the sound remains identical, your reaction of it changes from being irritating, to feeling a little more neutral towards it.