🔗 Share this article Yuletide Can Be a Living Hell for Misophonia Sufferers. With time, individuals develop ways to handle their misophonia. A 23-year-old anticipates being with her loved ones over the holidays, but notes a key strategy she'll endure is by wearing her noise-cancelling devices - especially during Christmas dinner. In her case, Christmas can be a notably tough season as the noises of family members munching, sipping loudly and sniffling trigger intense distress. "There's this wave of immediate anxiety, my entire being will just tense up and it feels like I'm in danger, and I need to somehow control these sounds." She has suffered from this condition since she was 16 and for her that causes the festive season "deeply taxing". Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to certain sounds, notably sounds produced by other people. It is prevalent across the population. Researchers found a significant portion of people are affected by it. Typically it's sounds connected to eating or drinking that trigger a reaction, along with things like crunching, breathing, and pen clicking. 'Anxiety Inducing' She explains: "You encounter so many different triggering sounds at the holidays and that can be daunting and make you dread it. "My family are supportive, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to upset others. It's like a internal conflict of sacrificing my own sanity to guarantee the event goes smoothly." So it's obvious why the traditionally happy time of the year can quickly turn into a living nightmare for affected individuals. Sounds that may be considered normal, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, opening presents, or enjoying festive food can cause a visceral feeling that can even cause them avoiding social settings altogether. A 21-year-old student is already thinking about ways to manage the holiday dinner. She, a young adult, who has dealt with misophonia since aged 10, states the approach she intends to use is to put her earphones in to cope. Typically, she would usually isolate herself in a separate space to minimize problematic noises. She explains her misophonia is more pronounced around people she's most comfortable with, so the holidays is always "challenging". "There's an expectation to socialize with loved ones, and I desire to, but it's physically and mentally challenging. "I feel as if this sudden rage comes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel panicked and burst into tears and then the stress response will kick in. "It may seem as if I'm being difficult and dramatic, but it's difficult to convey without firsthand experience." Several Strategies to Cope For those affected then there are various strategies you can try to cope the situation, according to experts. Imagine an Alternative: Mental imagery is essential. Attempt to link the particular sound affecting you with a neutral concept. As an illustration, try to picture someone's noisy drinking is just a waterfall. The goal is to help your brain learn that the sound affecting you poses no threat. Use Humor: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a competition with the person. For instance, 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 engaged person. And the game aspect should help distract your brain and make you slightly more tolerant. Craft a Story: Another technique is to try to create a little story about the reason someone creating the sound is doing it. So if someone was sniffing, it could be that they're not in good health or are troubled. The idea is changing the meaning of the sound. Even though the sound stays the same, your interpretation of it changes from being annoying, to feeling a little more neutral towards it.
With time, individuals develop ways to handle their misophonia. A 23-year-old anticipates being with her loved ones over the holidays, but notes a key strategy she'll endure is by wearing her noise-cancelling devices - especially during Christmas dinner. In her case, Christmas can be a notably tough season as the noises of family members munching, sipping loudly and sniffling trigger intense distress. "There's this wave of immediate anxiety, my entire being will just tense up and it feels like I'm in danger, and I need to somehow control these sounds." She has suffered from this condition since she was 16 and for her that causes the festive season "deeply taxing". Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to certain sounds, notably sounds produced by other people. It is prevalent across the population. Researchers found a significant portion of people are affected by it. Typically it's sounds connected to eating or drinking that trigger a reaction, along with things like crunching, breathing, and pen clicking. 'Anxiety Inducing' She explains: "You encounter so many different triggering sounds at the holidays and that can be daunting and make you dread it. "My family are supportive, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to upset others. It's like a internal conflict of sacrificing my own sanity to guarantee the event goes smoothly." So it's obvious why the traditionally happy time of the year can quickly turn into a living nightmare for affected individuals. Sounds that may be considered normal, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, opening presents, or enjoying festive food can cause a visceral feeling that can even cause them avoiding social settings altogether. A 21-year-old student is already thinking about ways to manage the holiday dinner. She, a young adult, who has dealt with misophonia since aged 10, states the approach she intends to use is to put her earphones in to cope. Typically, she would usually isolate herself in a separate space to minimize problematic noises. She explains her misophonia is more pronounced around people she's most comfortable with, so the holidays is always "challenging". "There's an expectation to socialize with loved ones, and I desire to, but it's physically and mentally challenging. "I feel as if this sudden rage comes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel panicked and burst into tears and then the stress response will kick in. "It may seem as if I'm being difficult and dramatic, but it's difficult to convey without firsthand experience." Several Strategies to Cope For those affected then there are various strategies you can try to cope the situation, according to experts. Imagine an Alternative: Mental imagery is essential. Attempt to link the particular sound affecting you with a neutral concept. As an illustration, try to picture someone's noisy drinking is just a waterfall. The goal is to help your brain learn that the sound affecting you poses no threat. Use Humor: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a competition with the person. For instance, 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 engaged person. And the game aspect should help distract your brain and make you slightly more tolerant. Craft a Story: Another technique is to try to create a little story about the reason someone creating the sound is doing it. So if someone was sniffing, it could be that they're not in good health or are troubled. The idea is changing the meaning of the sound. Even though the sound stays the same, your interpretation of it changes from being annoying, to feeling a little more neutral towards it.