🔗 Share this article The Holiday Season Can Be a Living Hell for Misophonia Sufferers. With time, sufferers discover ways to handle their misophonia. Lottie anticipates spending time with her loved ones during the festive period, but notes a primary method she'll manage to get through it is by using her hearing protection - notably for the main festive feast. In her case, Christmas is a especially challenging time as the sounds of family members munching, slurping and nose-blowing cause her profound anxiety. "I experience this wave of sudden panic, my whole body will just freeze and it as though I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to somehow control these triggers." Lottie has experienced this condition from a young age and for her that makes the Christmas time "deeply taxing". Misophonia is a decreased threshold to particular auditory triggers, particularly those produced by those around you. It's surprisingly common in the UK. Researchers found a significant portion of people suffer from it. Frequently it's noises associated with eating or drinking that trigger a reaction, as well as examples such as chewing, breathing, and pen clicking. Triggering Stress The sufferer notes: "There are so many various auditory triggers at Christmas and that can be stressful and make you dread it. "My relatives are aware, but I'm very aware that I don't want to upset others. It's like a internal conflict of enduring my distress to ensure the event goes smoothly." So it's clear why the supposedly joyous season can rapidly become a source of agony for those with the condition. Sounds that may appear innocuous, like someone sipping a beverage, opening presents, or eating the holiday meal can provoke a strong emotional response that can even lead to them skipping events entirely. Jenna is already thinking about ways to help her during the family meal. Jenna, a university student, who has struggled with misophonia since aged 10, states currently her plan is to listen to music to manage the meal. Usually, she would frequently go in a different room to avoid triggering sounds. She notes her sensitivity is worse around people she's most comfortable with, so Christmas is always "challenging". "People assume you to spend time with family, and I desire to, but it's draining. "The sensation is this intense irritation takes hold, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel panicked and immediately start crying and then fight-or-flight will activate. "It may seem as if I'm being oversensitive and dramatic, but it's difficult to convey without firsthand experience." Three Ways to Handle It If it's an issue then there are a few methods you can attempt to manage the situation, based on advice from experts. Visualise Something Else: Creative thinking is crucial. Work on connecting the particular sound affecting you with something completely different. So for example, try to picture someone's noisy drinking is just a sink draining water. This technique is to retrain your mind that the sound affecting you poses no threat. Use Humor: Have a bit of fun and make the irritating noise into a game involving the source. For instance, if someone is crunching loudly try mimicking the sound. By mimicking, instead of feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an engaged person. And the challenge should help redirect your focus and make you slightly more tolerant. Craft a Story: A further strategy is to try to fabricate an explanation about why the person making the noise is behaving that way. Imagine if someone was making a nasal sound, perhaps they're not in good health or maybe they're upset. This approach is altering the perception of the sound. While the noise remains identical, your reaction of it moves from being irritating, to feeling a bit more accepting towards it.
With time, sufferers discover ways to handle their misophonia. Lottie anticipates spending time with her loved ones during the festive period, but notes a primary method she'll manage to get through it is by using her hearing protection - notably for the main festive feast. In her case, Christmas is a especially challenging time as the sounds of family members munching, slurping and nose-blowing cause her profound anxiety. "I experience this wave of sudden panic, my whole body will just freeze and it as though I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to somehow control these triggers." Lottie has experienced this condition from a young age and for her that makes the Christmas time "deeply taxing". Misophonia is a decreased threshold to particular auditory triggers, particularly those produced by those around you. It's surprisingly common in the UK. Researchers found a significant portion of people suffer from it. Frequently it's noises associated with eating or drinking that trigger a reaction, as well as examples such as chewing, breathing, and pen clicking. Triggering Stress The sufferer notes: "There are so many various auditory triggers at Christmas and that can be stressful and make you dread it. "My relatives are aware, but I'm very aware that I don't want to upset others. It's like a internal conflict of enduring my distress to ensure the event goes smoothly." So it's clear why the supposedly joyous season can rapidly become a source of agony for those with the condition. Sounds that may appear innocuous, like someone sipping a beverage, opening presents, or eating the holiday meal can provoke a strong emotional response that can even lead to them skipping events entirely. Jenna is already thinking about ways to help her during the family meal. Jenna, a university student, who has struggled with misophonia since aged 10, states currently her plan is to listen to music to manage the meal. Usually, she would frequently go in a different room to avoid triggering sounds. She notes her sensitivity is worse around people she's most comfortable with, so Christmas is always "challenging". "People assume you to spend time with family, and I desire to, but it's draining. "The sensation is this intense irritation takes hold, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel panicked and immediately start crying and then fight-or-flight will activate. "It may seem as if I'm being oversensitive and dramatic, but it's difficult to convey without firsthand experience." Three Ways to Handle It If it's an issue then there are a few methods you can attempt to manage the situation, based on advice from experts. Visualise Something Else: Creative thinking is crucial. Work on connecting the particular sound affecting you with something completely different. So for example, try to picture someone's noisy drinking is just a sink draining water. This technique is to retrain your mind that the sound affecting you poses no threat. Use Humor: Have a bit of fun and make the irritating noise into a game involving the source. For instance, if someone is crunching loudly try mimicking the sound. By mimicking, instead of feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an engaged person. And the challenge should help redirect your focus and make you slightly more tolerant. Craft a Story: A further strategy is to try to fabricate an explanation about why the person making the noise is behaving that way. Imagine if someone was making a nasal sound, perhaps they're not in good health or maybe they're upset. This approach is altering the perception of the sound. While the noise remains identical, your reaction of it moves from being irritating, to feeling a bit more accepting towards it.