🔗 Share this article Yuletide Transforms Into a Nightmare for Misophonia Sufferers. With time, individuals discover ways to try to better manage their condition. Lottie is looking forward to spending time with her loved ones during the festive period, but notes one of the only ways she'll endure is by using her noise-cancelling devices - particularly at Christmas dinner. For her, the holidays can be a particularly difficult season as the noises of other people chewing, slurping and nose-blowing make her feel extremely uncomfortable. "I experience this sensation of sudden panic, my entire being will just freeze and it as though I'm in peril, and I need to somehow control these sounds." Lottie has suffered from misophonia for several years and for her that makes the holiday period "exceptionally stressful". Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to certain sounds, especially noises made by other people. It is prevalent amongst adults. Experts discovered almost one in five people are affected by it. Frequently it's sounds associated with bodily functions that cause distress, along with things like chewing, breathing, and repetitive finger tapping. A Source of Dread The sufferer notes: "You encounter so many assorted problematic noises at Christmas and that can be stressful and make you want to avoid it. "Those close to me are supportive, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to upset others. It's like a constant struggle of managing my symptoms to ensure everyone else is happy." So it's clear why the supposedly joyous season can transform into a source of agony for those with the condition. Triggers that may seem harmless, like someone drinking champagne, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or eating the holiday meal can provoke a powerful reaction that can even cause them avoiding social settings altogether. Another individual is considering strategies to help her during the family meal. Jenna, a young adult, who has struggled with sound sensitivity since aged 10, explains her strategy is to use headphones to get through dinner. Typically, she would often retreat in a quiet area to escape distressing triggers. She explains her sensitivity is more intense around people she's most familiar with, so the holidays is always "difficult". "People assume you to socialize with family, and I want to, but it's exhausting on all levels. "It's like this intense irritation takes hold, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel panicked and burst into tears and then fight-or-flight will activate. "It may seem as if I'm being oversensitive and melodramatic, but it's difficult to convey unless you've experienced it." Three Ways to Handle It If it's an issue then there are various strategies you can try to cope the situation, according to specialists. Imagine Something Else: Mental imagery is key. Work on connecting the particular sound affecting you with something completely different. So for example, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a waterfall. This technique is to teach your brain that the sound triggering you isn't harmful. Make it a Game: Use lightheartedness and make the irritating noise into a competition with the culprit. For instance, if someone is eating noisily have a go at joining in. Through participation, rather than feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an active participant. And the game aspect should help redirect your focus and make you somewhat less sensitive. Craft a Story: Another technique is to try to invent a reason about why the person making the noise is behaving that way. So if someone was sniffing, maybe they are not feeling well or could be emotional. By doing this is altering the perception of the sound. Even though the sound doesn't change, your interpretation of it changes from being annoying, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.
With time, individuals discover ways to try to better manage their condition. Lottie is looking forward to spending time with her loved ones during the festive period, but notes one of the only ways she'll endure is by using her noise-cancelling devices - particularly at Christmas dinner. For her, the holidays can be a particularly difficult season as the noises of other people chewing, slurping and nose-blowing make her feel extremely uncomfortable. "I experience this sensation of sudden panic, my entire being will just freeze and it as though I'm in peril, and I need to somehow control these sounds." Lottie has suffered from misophonia for several years and for her that makes the holiday period "exceptionally stressful". Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to certain sounds, especially noises made by other people. It is prevalent amongst adults. Experts discovered almost one in five people are affected by it. Frequently it's sounds associated with bodily functions that cause distress, along with things like chewing, breathing, and repetitive finger tapping. A Source of Dread The sufferer notes: "You encounter so many assorted problematic noises at Christmas and that can be stressful and make you want to avoid it. "Those close to me are supportive, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to upset others. It's like a constant struggle of managing my symptoms to ensure everyone else is happy." So it's clear why the supposedly joyous season can transform into a source of agony for those with the condition. Triggers that may seem harmless, like someone drinking champagne, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or eating the holiday meal can provoke a powerful reaction that can even cause them avoiding social settings altogether. Another individual is considering strategies to help her during the family meal. Jenna, a young adult, who has struggled with sound sensitivity since aged 10, explains her strategy is to use headphones to get through dinner. Typically, she would often retreat in a quiet area to escape distressing triggers. She explains her sensitivity is more intense around people she's most familiar with, so the holidays is always "difficult". "People assume you to socialize with family, and I want to, but it's exhausting on all levels. "It's like this intense irritation takes hold, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel panicked and burst into tears and then fight-or-flight will activate. "It may seem as if I'm being oversensitive and melodramatic, but it's difficult to convey unless you've experienced it." Three Ways to Handle It If it's an issue then there are various strategies you can try to cope the situation, according to specialists. Imagine Something Else: Mental imagery is key. Work on connecting the particular sound affecting you with something completely different. So for example, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a waterfall. This technique is to teach your brain that the sound triggering you isn't harmful. Make it a Game: Use lightheartedness and make the irritating noise into a competition with the culprit. For instance, if someone is eating noisily have a go at joining in. Through participation, rather than feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an active participant. And the game aspect should help redirect your focus and make you somewhat less sensitive. Craft a Story: Another technique is to try to invent a reason about why the person making the noise is behaving that way. So if someone was sniffing, maybe they are not feeling well or could be emotional. By doing this is altering the perception of the sound. Even though the sound doesn't change, your interpretation of it changes from being annoying, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.