🔗 Share this article Yuletide Transforms Into a Living Hell for Misophonia Sufferers. With time, individuals discover methods to handle their sound sensitivity. One young woman hopes for seeing her family this Christmas, but admits one of the only ways she'll endure is by using her noise-cancelling devices - especially during Christmas dinner. For the 23-year-old, the holidays can be a notably tough period as the noises of other people chewing, drinking noisily and nose-blowing make her feel extremely uncomfortable. "There's this sensation of instant dread, my entire being will just tighten and it feels like I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to stop these sounds." The individual has experienced misophonia since she was 16 and for her that causes the holiday period "incredibly overwhelming". Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to specific noises, especially noises made by individuals. It is prevalent in the UK. A study found nearly 20% people are affected by it. Typically it's sounds associated with eating or drinking that trigger a reaction, as well as things like chewing, heavy breathing, and pen clicking. 'Anxiety Inducing' The sufferer notes: "There are so many various auditory triggers at the holidays and that can be anxiety inducing and make you dread it. "Those close to me are supportive, 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 others enjoy themselves." So it's easy to understand why the most wonderful time of the year can transform into a living nightmare for sufferers. Noises that may appear innocuous, like someone drinking champagne, opening presents, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can trigger a visceral feeling that can even cause them withdrawing from gatherings. Jenna is already thinking about ways to get her through Christmas lunch. The student, a young adult, who has dealt with misophonia from childhood, states the approach she intends to use is to listen to music to cope. On any other day, she would frequently go in a different room to avoid distressing triggers. She notes her condition is more intense around people she's most familiar with, so Christmas is always "hard". "There's an expectation to socialize with loved ones, and I want to, but it's exhausting on all levels. "I feel as if this uncontrollable anger takes hold, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel stressed and begin to weep and then panic will kick in. "To others it appears as if I'm being unreasonable and overreacting, but it's tough to describe unless you've experienced it." Several Strategies to Cope If you suffer then there are various strategies you can attempt to manage the situation, based on advice from clinical psychologists. Imagine Something Else: Mental imagery is key. Try to associate the particular sound causing distress with a neutral concept. For instance, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. The goal is to retrain your mind that the sound affecting you isn't harmful. Use Humor: Have a bit of fun and make the irritating noise into a game involving the source. As an example, if someone is eating noisily try joining in. By joining in, rather than feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an engaged person. And the competition element 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 the reason someone making the noise is behaving that way. So if someone was sniffing, perhaps they're not at their best or maybe they're upset. The idea is changing the meaning of the sound. Even though the sound remains identical, your reaction of it changes from being annoying, to feeling a little more neutral about it.
With time, individuals discover methods to handle their sound sensitivity. One young woman hopes for seeing her family this Christmas, but admits one of the only ways she'll endure is by using her noise-cancelling devices - especially during Christmas dinner. For the 23-year-old, the holidays can be a notably tough period as the noises of other people chewing, drinking noisily and nose-blowing make her feel extremely uncomfortable. "There's this sensation of instant dread, my entire being will just tighten and it feels like I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to stop these sounds." The individual has experienced misophonia since she was 16 and for her that causes the holiday period "incredibly overwhelming". Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to specific noises, especially noises made by individuals. It is prevalent in the UK. A study found nearly 20% people are affected by it. Typically it's sounds associated with eating or drinking that trigger a reaction, as well as things like chewing, heavy breathing, and pen clicking. 'Anxiety Inducing' The sufferer notes: "There are so many various auditory triggers at the holidays and that can be anxiety inducing and make you dread it. "Those close to me are supportive, 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 others enjoy themselves." So it's easy to understand why the most wonderful time of the year can transform into a living nightmare for sufferers. Noises that may appear innocuous, like someone drinking champagne, opening presents, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can trigger a visceral feeling that can even cause them withdrawing from gatherings. Jenna is already thinking about ways to get her through Christmas lunch. The student, a young adult, who has dealt with misophonia from childhood, states the approach she intends to use is to listen to music to cope. On any other day, she would frequently go in a different room to avoid distressing triggers. She notes her condition is more intense around people she's most familiar with, so Christmas is always "hard". "There's an expectation to socialize with loved ones, and I want to, but it's exhausting on all levels. "I feel as if this uncontrollable anger takes hold, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel stressed and begin to weep and then panic will kick in. "To others it appears as if I'm being unreasonable and overreacting, but it's tough to describe unless you've experienced it." Several Strategies to Cope If you suffer then there are various strategies you can attempt to manage the situation, based on advice from clinical psychologists. Imagine Something Else: Mental imagery is key. Try to associate the particular sound causing distress with a neutral concept. For instance, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. The goal is to retrain your mind that the sound affecting you isn't harmful. Use Humor: Have a bit of fun and make the irritating noise into a game involving the source. As an example, if someone is eating noisily try joining in. By joining in, rather than feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an engaged person. And the competition element 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 the reason someone making the noise is behaving that way. So if someone was sniffing, perhaps they're not at their best or maybe they're upset. The idea is changing the meaning of the sound. Even though the sound remains identical, your reaction of it changes from being annoying, to feeling a little more neutral about it.