🔗 Share this article Christmas Can Be a Living Hell for Misophonia Sufferers. Over the years, individuals discover strategies to handle their condition. A 23-year-old anticipates seeing her family over the holidays, but says a primary method she'll manage to get through it is by wearing her hearing protection - particularly at Christmas dinner. In her case, Christmas often feels like a particularly difficult time as the noises of family members munching, drinking noisily and nose-blowing make her feel extremely uncomfortable. "I experience this sensation of immediate anxiety, my every muscle will just tense up and it seems as if I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to manage these triggers." Lottie has suffered from this condition from a young age and for her that renders the holiday period "deeply taxing". Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to specific noises, especially noises coming from those around you. It is prevalent across the population. Researchers discovered almost one in five people suffer from it. Often it's noises linked to mouth, throat or facial movements that lead to discomfort, as well as examples such as crunching, heavy breathing, and repetitive finger tapping. 'Anxiety Inducing' Lottie says: "I face so many various auditory triggers at the holidays and that can be anxiety inducing and make you dread it. "My family are understanding, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to upset others. It's like a constant struggle of enduring my distress to guarantee others enjoy themselves." So it's easy to understand why the traditionally happy season can transform into a stressful ordeal for sufferers. Sounds that may appear innocuous, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, opening presents, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can cause a strong emotional response that can even lead to them avoiding social settings altogether. Another individual is considering ways to manage the holiday dinner. She, a 21-year-old student, who has dealt with sound sensitivity from childhood, says currently her plan is to use headphones to manage the meal. Usually, she would often retreat in a separate space to avoid triggering sounds. She notes her misophonia is more pronounced around people she's closest to, so Christmas is always "difficult". "There is pressure to socialize with family, and I wish to, but it's draining. "I feel as if this uncontrollable anger washes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel stressed and begin to weep and then fight-or-flight will activate. "It may seem as if I'm being oversensitive and melodramatic, but it's difficult to convey without firsthand experience." A Few Techniques to Handle It If you suffer then there are a few methods you can use to handle the situation, according to experts. Visualise Something Else: Imagination is crucial. Work on connecting the triggering sound causing distress with something completely different. So for example, try to picture someone's slurping is just a gentle stream. By doing this is to retrain your mind that the sound triggering you is neutral. Make it a Game: Use lightheartedness and make the irritating noise into a game with the culprit. For example, if someone is eating noisily attempt copying the noise. By mimicking, instead of feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an willing part. And the competition element should help shift your attention and make you slightly more tolerant. Create a Scenario: Another technique is to try to create a little story about the reason someone creating the sound is doing it. Imagine if someone was making a nasal sound, perhaps they're not in good health or are troubled. The idea is re-framing the context of the sound. While the sound stays the same, your reaction of it changes from being aggravating, to feeling a little more neutral towards it.
Over the years, individuals discover strategies to handle their condition. A 23-year-old anticipates seeing her family over the holidays, but says a primary method she'll manage to get through it is by wearing her hearing protection - particularly at Christmas dinner. In her case, Christmas often feels like a particularly difficult time as the noises of family members munching, drinking noisily and nose-blowing make her feel extremely uncomfortable. "I experience this sensation of immediate anxiety, my every muscle will just tense up and it seems as if I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to manage these triggers." Lottie has suffered from this condition from a young age and for her that renders the holiday period "deeply taxing". Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to specific noises, especially noises coming from those around you. It is prevalent across the population. Researchers discovered almost one in five people suffer from it. Often it's noises linked to mouth, throat or facial movements that lead to discomfort, as well as examples such as crunching, heavy breathing, and repetitive finger tapping. 'Anxiety Inducing' Lottie says: "I face so many various auditory triggers at the holidays and that can be anxiety inducing and make you dread it. "My family are understanding, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to upset others. It's like a constant struggle of enduring my distress to guarantee others enjoy themselves." So it's easy to understand why the traditionally happy season can transform into a stressful ordeal for sufferers. Sounds that may appear innocuous, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, opening presents, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can cause a strong emotional response that can even lead to them avoiding social settings altogether. Another individual is considering ways to manage the holiday dinner. She, a 21-year-old student, who has dealt with sound sensitivity from childhood, says currently her plan is to use headphones to manage the meal. Usually, she would often retreat in a separate space to avoid triggering sounds. She notes her misophonia is more pronounced around people she's closest to, so Christmas is always "difficult". "There is pressure to socialize with family, and I wish to, but it's draining. "I feel as if this uncontrollable anger washes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel stressed and begin to weep and then fight-or-flight will activate. "It may seem as if I'm being oversensitive and melodramatic, but it's difficult to convey without firsthand experience." A Few Techniques to Handle It If you suffer then there are a few methods you can use to handle the situation, according to experts. Visualise Something Else: Imagination is crucial. Work on connecting the triggering sound causing distress with something completely different. So for example, try to picture someone's slurping is just a gentle stream. By doing this is to retrain your mind that the sound triggering you is neutral. Make it a Game: Use lightheartedness and make the irritating noise into a game with the culprit. For example, if someone is eating noisily attempt copying the noise. By mimicking, instead of feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an willing part. And the competition element should help shift your attention and make you slightly more tolerant. Create a Scenario: Another technique is to try to create a little story about the reason someone creating the sound is doing it. Imagine if someone was making a nasal sound, perhaps they're not in good health or are troubled. The idea is re-framing the context of the sound. While the sound stays the same, your reaction of it changes from being aggravating, to feeling a little more neutral towards it.