🔗 Share this article Yuletide Can Be a Terrifying Experience for Those with Misophonia. Through experience, individuals have found ways to handle their condition. Lottie anticipates seeing her family over the holidays, but notes one of the only ways she'll endure is by relying on her hearing protection - notably for the main festive feast. For the 23-year-old, the holidays is a particularly difficult time as the sounds of people eating, slurping and breathing heavily trigger intense distress. "There's this sensation of sudden panic, my entire being will just freeze and it seems as if I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to stop these triggers." The individual has lived with sound sensitivity from a young age and for her that renders the Christmas time "incredibly overwhelming". Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to specific noises, especially noises coming from those around you. It is prevalent across the population. Experts discovered a significant portion of people experience it. Frequently it's sounds linked to eating or drinking that lead to discomfort, along with things like chewing, heavy breathing, and pen clicking. A Source of Dread Lottie says: "There are so many assorted problematic noises at the holidays and that can be anxiety inducing and make you want to avoid it. "My relatives are understanding, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a really big battle of sacrificing my own sanity to guarantee the event goes smoothly." So it's clear why the most wonderful period can rapidly become a stressful ordeal for sufferers. Noises that may seem harmless, like someone drinking champagne, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can trigger a visceral feeling that can even result in them skipping events entirely. Jenna is planning ways to manage the family meal. Jenna, a university student, who has struggled with sound sensitivity since aged 10, states currently her plan is to use headphones to manage the meal. Usually, she would often retreat in a different room to escape triggering sounds. She explains her misophonia is more intense around people she's closest to, so Christmas is always "difficult". "There is pressure to be around loved ones, and I desire to, but it's physically and mentally challenging. "It's like this uncontrollable anger takes hold, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel stressed and burst into tears and then panic will activate. "It may seem as if I'm being oversensitive and overreacting, but it's tough to describe unless you've experienced it." A Few Techniques to Manage For those affected then there are a few methods you can attempt to manage the situation, as suggested by specialists. Picture a Different Scenario: Mental imagery is key. Work on connecting the particular sound bothering you with an unrelated image. For instance, try to imagine someone's slurping is just a waterfall. The goal is to teach your brain that the sound triggering you is neutral. Make it a Game: Have a bit of fun and make the irritating noise into a game involving the source. For instance, if someone is crunching loudly attempt joining in. By joining in, rather than feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an willing part. And the competition element should help shift your attention and make you somewhat less sensitive. Create a Scenario: A further strategy is to try to invent a reason about why the person making the noise is doing it. For example if someone was making a nasal sound, maybe they are not feeling well or could be emotional. This approach is changing the meaning of the sound. Although the sound doesn't change, your understanding of it moves from being annoying, to feeling a slightly more compassionate about it.
Through experience, individuals have found ways to handle their condition. Lottie anticipates seeing her family over the holidays, but notes one of the only ways she'll endure is by relying on her hearing protection - notably for the main festive feast. For the 23-year-old, the holidays is a particularly difficult time as the sounds of people eating, slurping and breathing heavily trigger intense distress. "There's this sensation of sudden panic, my entire being will just freeze and it seems as if I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to stop these triggers." The individual has lived with sound sensitivity from a young age and for her that renders the Christmas time "incredibly overwhelming". Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to specific noises, especially noises coming from those around you. It is prevalent across the population. Experts discovered a significant portion of people experience it. Frequently it's sounds linked to eating or drinking that lead to discomfort, along with things like chewing, heavy breathing, and pen clicking. A Source of Dread Lottie says: "There are so many assorted problematic noises at the holidays and that can be anxiety inducing and make you want to avoid it. "My relatives are understanding, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a really big battle of sacrificing my own sanity to guarantee the event goes smoothly." So it's clear why the most wonderful period can rapidly become a stressful ordeal for sufferers. Noises that may seem harmless, like someone drinking champagne, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can trigger a visceral feeling that can even result in them skipping events entirely. Jenna is planning ways to manage the family meal. Jenna, a university student, who has struggled with sound sensitivity since aged 10, states currently her plan is to use headphones to manage the meal. Usually, she would often retreat in a different room to escape triggering sounds. She explains her misophonia is more intense around people she's closest to, so Christmas is always "difficult". "There is pressure to be around loved ones, and I desire to, but it's physically and mentally challenging. "It's like this uncontrollable anger takes hold, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel stressed and burst into tears and then panic will activate. "It may seem as if I'm being oversensitive and overreacting, but it's tough to describe unless you've experienced it." A Few Techniques to Manage For those affected then there are a few methods you can attempt to manage the situation, as suggested by specialists. Picture a Different Scenario: Mental imagery is key. Work on connecting the particular sound bothering you with an unrelated image. For instance, try to imagine someone's slurping is just a waterfall. The goal is to teach your brain that the sound triggering you is neutral. Make it a Game: Have a bit of fun and make the irritating noise into a game involving the source. For instance, if someone is crunching loudly attempt joining in. By joining in, rather than feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an willing part. And the competition element should help shift your attention and make you somewhat less sensitive. Create a Scenario: A further strategy is to try to invent a reason about why the person making the noise is doing it. For example if someone was making a nasal sound, maybe they are not feeling well or could be emotional. This approach is changing the meaning of the sound. Although the sound doesn't change, your understanding of it moves from being annoying, to feeling a slightly more compassionate about it.