🔗 Share this article Christmas Often Proves to Be a Living Hell for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity. With time, people have found methods to handle their misophonia. One young woman is looking forward to being with her relatives this Christmas, but notes a key strategy she'll endure is by using her earplugs - particularly at Christmas dinner. For the 23-year-old, the holidays is a especially challenging season as the sounds of family members munching, drinking noisily and sniffling make her feel extremely uncomfortable. "There's this wave of instant dread, my every muscle will just tense up and it feels like I'm in danger, and I need to manage these sounds." She has lived with this condition from a young age and for her that causes the Christmas time "deeply taxing". Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to specific noises, especially noises made by individuals. The condition is widespread in the UK. Experts found almost one in five people experience it. Typically it's noises associated with eating or drinking that cause distress, as well as examples such as crunching, breathing, and pen clicking. A Source of Dread Lottie says: "I face so many various auditory triggers at Christmas and that can be stressful and make you want to avoid it. "My family are understanding, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a constant struggle of sacrificing my own sanity to make sure the event goes smoothly." So it's obvious why the most wonderful season can transform into a living nightmare for affected individuals. Noises that may seem harmless, like someone drinking champagne, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or enjoying festive food can trigger a powerful reaction that can even lead to them withdrawing from gatherings. Jenna is planning ways to manage Christmas lunch. Jenna, a 21-year-old student, who has dealt with misophonia for over a decade, says the approach she intends to use is to use headphones to cope. On any other day, she would frequently go in a different room to escape problematic noises. She explains her sensitivity is more pronounced around people she's closest to, so the holidays is always "hard". "People assume you to be around family, and I wish to, but it's physically and mentally challenging. "The sensation is this intense irritation takes hold, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel anxious and begin to weep and then the stress response will activate. "To others it appears as if I'm being oversensitive and overreacting, but it's hard to explain without firsthand experience." Several Strategies to Handle It For those affected then there are some different techniques you can use to handle the situation, based on advice from clinical psychologists. Visualise an Alternative: Imagination is key. Try to associate the triggering sound bothering you with an unrelated image. As an illustration, try to envision 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 turn the annoying sound into a competition involving the source. For instance, if someone is crunching loudly try joining in. Through participation, instead of feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an willing part. And the challenge should help shift your attention and make you a little less affected. Craft a Story: A further strategy is to try to create a little story about the reason someone creating the sound is doing it. So if someone was making a nasal sound, it could be that they're not at their best or maybe they're upset. By doing this is changing the meaning of the sound. Although the sound stays the same, your reaction of it shifts from being annoying, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.
With time, people have found methods to handle their misophonia. One young woman is looking forward to being with her relatives this Christmas, but notes a key strategy she'll endure is by using her earplugs - particularly at Christmas dinner. For the 23-year-old, the holidays is a especially challenging season as the sounds of family members munching, drinking noisily and sniffling make her feel extremely uncomfortable. "There's this wave of instant dread, my every muscle will just tense up and it feels like I'm in danger, and I need to manage these sounds." She has lived with this condition from a young age and for her that causes the Christmas time "deeply taxing". Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to specific noises, especially noises made by individuals. The condition is widespread in the UK. Experts found almost one in five people experience it. Typically it's noises associated with eating or drinking that cause distress, as well as examples such as crunching, breathing, and pen clicking. A Source of Dread Lottie says: "I face so many various auditory triggers at Christmas and that can be stressful and make you want to avoid it. "My family are understanding, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a constant struggle of sacrificing my own sanity to make sure the event goes smoothly." So it's obvious why the most wonderful season can transform into a living nightmare for affected individuals. Noises that may seem harmless, like someone drinking champagne, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or enjoying festive food can trigger a powerful reaction that can even lead to them withdrawing from gatherings. Jenna is planning ways to manage Christmas lunch. Jenna, a 21-year-old student, who has dealt with misophonia for over a decade, says the approach she intends to use is to use headphones to cope. On any other day, she would frequently go in a different room to escape problematic noises. She explains her sensitivity is more pronounced around people she's closest to, so the holidays is always "hard". "People assume you to be around family, and I wish to, but it's physically and mentally challenging. "The sensation is this intense irritation takes hold, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel anxious and begin to weep and then the stress response will activate. "To others it appears as if I'm being oversensitive and overreacting, but it's hard to explain without firsthand experience." Several Strategies to Handle It For those affected then there are some different techniques you can use to handle the situation, based on advice from clinical psychologists. Visualise an Alternative: Imagination is key. Try to associate the triggering sound bothering you with an unrelated image. As an illustration, try to envision 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 turn the annoying sound into a competition involving the source. For instance, if someone is crunching loudly try joining in. Through participation, instead of feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an willing part. And the challenge should help shift your attention and make you a little less affected. Craft a Story: A further strategy is to try to create a little story about the reason someone creating the sound is doing it. So if someone was making a nasal sound, it could be that they're not at their best or maybe they're upset. By doing this is changing the meaning of the sound. Although the sound stays the same, your reaction of it shifts from being annoying, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.