🔗 Share this article The Holiday Season Often Proves to Be a Living Hell for Those with Misophonia. Over the years, people develop ways to try to better manage their misophonia. One young woman hopes for spending time with her relatives this Christmas, but admits one of the only ways she'll cope is by using her hearing protection - especially during Christmas dinner. In her case, this time of year can be a especially challenging time as the noises of family members munching, drinking noisily and breathing heavily make her feel extremely uncomfortable. "There's this wave of sudden panic, my whole body will just freeze and it seems as if I'm in danger, and I need to manage these noises." She has suffered from sound sensitivity since she was 16 and for her that makes the Christmas time "exceptionally stressful". Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to particular auditory triggers, particularly those coming from other people. The condition is widespread across the population. Researchers found nearly 20% people suffer from it. Frequently it's noises linked to eating or drinking that cause distress, along with examples such as crunching, heavy breathing, and foot tapping. Triggering Stress Lottie says: "There are so many various auditory triggers at the holidays and that can be daunting and make you fear it. "My relatives are supportive, but I'm very aware that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a constant struggle of managing my symptoms to make sure the event goes smoothly." So it's obvious why the most wonderful time of the year can transform into a source of agony for those with the condition. Sounds that may seem harmless, like someone sipping a beverage, opening presents, or eating the holiday meal can cause a powerful reaction that can even cause them avoiding social settings altogether. Jenna is considering strategies to get her through Christmas lunch. The student, a young adult, who has struggled with misophonia from childhood, says her strategy is to put her earphones in to get through dinner. Usually, she would usually isolate herself in a quiet area to escape triggering sounds. She explains her sensitivity is worse around people she's most familiar with, so the holidays is always "challenging". "People assume you to be around loved ones, and I wish to, but it's physically and mentally challenging. "It's like this sudden rage washes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel panicked and begin to weep and then panic will take over. "It can come across as if I'm being oversensitive and melodramatic, but it's tough to describe unless you've experienced it." Several Strategies to Handle It If it's an issue then there are a few methods you can use to handle the situation, based on advice from experts. Picture an Alternative: Creative thinking is key. Work on connecting the specific noise causing distress with an unrelated image. As an illustration, try to envision someone's slurping is just a sink draining water. This technique is to retrain your mind that the sound triggering you poses no threat. Make it a Game: Use lightheartedness and turn the annoying sound into a game with the person. For instance, if someone is crunching loudly try joining in. By joining in, rather than feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an active participant. And the competition element should help shift your attention and make you a little less affected. Develop a Narrative: Another technique is to try to fabricate an explanation about the reason someone making the noise is doing it. Imagine if someone was sniffing, it could be that they're not at their best or are troubled. This approach is re-framing the context of the sound. Even though the noise stays the same, your interpretation of it moves from being annoying, to feeling a slightly more compassionate towards it.
Over the years, people develop ways to try to better manage their misophonia. One young woman hopes for spending time with her relatives this Christmas, but admits one of the only ways she'll cope is by using her hearing protection - especially during Christmas dinner. In her case, this time of year can be a especially challenging time as the noises of family members munching, drinking noisily and breathing heavily make her feel extremely uncomfortable. "There's this wave of sudden panic, my whole body will just freeze and it seems as if I'm in danger, and I need to manage these noises." She has suffered from sound sensitivity since she was 16 and for her that makes the Christmas time "exceptionally stressful". Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to particular auditory triggers, particularly those coming from other people. The condition is widespread across the population. Researchers found nearly 20% people suffer from it. Frequently it's noises linked to eating or drinking that cause distress, along with examples such as crunching, heavy breathing, and foot tapping. Triggering Stress Lottie says: "There are so many various auditory triggers at the holidays and that can be daunting and make you fear it. "My relatives are supportive, but I'm very aware that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a constant struggle of managing my symptoms to make sure the event goes smoothly." So it's obvious why the most wonderful time of the year can transform into a source of agony for those with the condition. Sounds that may seem harmless, like someone sipping a beverage, opening presents, or eating the holiday meal can cause a powerful reaction that can even cause them avoiding social settings altogether. Jenna is considering strategies to get her through Christmas lunch. The student, a young adult, who has struggled with misophonia from childhood, says her strategy is to put her earphones in to get through dinner. Usually, she would usually isolate herself in a quiet area to escape triggering sounds. She explains her sensitivity is worse around people she's most familiar with, so the holidays is always "challenging". "People assume you to be around loved ones, and I wish to, but it's physically and mentally challenging. "It's like this sudden rage washes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel panicked and begin to weep and then panic will take over. "It can come across as if I'm being oversensitive and melodramatic, but it's tough to describe unless you've experienced it." Several Strategies to Handle It If it's an issue then there are a few methods you can use to handle the situation, based on advice from experts. Picture an Alternative: Creative thinking is key. Work on connecting the specific noise causing distress with an unrelated image. As an illustration, try to envision someone's slurping is just a sink draining water. This technique is to retrain your mind that the sound triggering you poses no threat. Make it a Game: Use lightheartedness and turn the annoying sound into a game with the person. For instance, if someone is crunching loudly try joining in. By joining in, rather than feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an active participant. And the competition element should help shift your attention and make you a little less affected. Develop a Narrative: Another technique is to try to fabricate an explanation about the reason someone making the noise is doing it. Imagine if someone was sniffing, it could be that they're not at their best or are troubled. This approach is re-framing the context of the sound. Even though the noise stays the same, your interpretation of it moves from being annoying, to feeling a slightly more compassionate towards it.