🔗 Share this article The Holiday Season Can Be a Living Hell for Misophonia Sufferers. Through experience, people develop methods to try to better manage their condition. One young woman anticipates seeing her family over the holidays, but notes a primary method she'll endure is by relying on her hearing protection - particularly at the holiday meal. In her case, Christmas often feels like a particularly difficult season as the sounds of people eating, sipping loudly and sniffling cause her profound anxiety. "I get this feeling of sudden panic, my entire being will just tighten and it as though I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to somehow control these sounds." Lottie has experienced this condition for several years and for her that makes the Christmas time "deeply taxing". Misophonia is a decreased threshold to specific noises, especially noises produced by those around you. The condition is widespread amongst adults. Experts discovered nearly 20% people are affected by it. Typically it's sounds connected to eating or drinking that trigger a reaction, as well as examples such as chewing, breathing, and repetitive finger tapping. 'Anxiety Inducing' She explains: "I face so many different triggering sounds at the holidays and that can be daunting and make you want to avoid it. "My family are understanding, but I'm very aware that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a really big battle of enduring my distress to ensure the event goes smoothly." So it's easy to understand why the most wonderful time of the year can transform into a source of agony for sufferers. Sounds that may be considered normal, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, unwrapping gifts, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can cause a visceral feeling that can even result in them avoiding social settings altogether. A 21-year-old student is already thinking about strategies to manage Christmas lunch. The student, a university student, who has dealt with misophonia for over a decade, explains currently her plan is to listen to music to manage the meal. Usually, she would frequently go in a separate space to minimize problematic noises. She says her misophonia is more intense around people she's most comfortable with, so the holidays is always "difficult". "There's an expectation to socialize with family, and I want to, but it's draining. "It's like this intense irritation washes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel anxious and immediately start crying and then the stress response will activate. "It may seem as if I'm being difficult and dramatic, but it's hard to explain unless you've experienced it." Several Strategies to Manage If you suffer then there are a few methods you can attempt to manage the situation, based on advice from experts. Picture Something Else: Imagination is essential. Attempt to link the specific noise bothering you with an unrelated image. So for example, try to envision someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. This technique is to help your brain learn that the sound triggering you is neutral. Use Humor: Use lightheartedness and turn the annoying sound into a challenge with the person. For example, if someone is crunching loudly attempt mimicking the sound. By mimicking, rather than feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an willing part. And the competition element should help distract your brain and make you somewhat less sensitive. Create a Scenario: One more method is to try to fabricate an explanation about the reason someone creating the sound is behaving that way. Imagine if someone was making a nasal sound, maybe they are not in good health or could be emotional. By doing this is re-framing the context of the sound. Even though the noise remains identical, your interpretation of it shifts from being aggravating, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.
Through experience, people develop methods to try to better manage their condition. One young woman anticipates seeing her family over the holidays, but notes a primary method she'll endure is by relying on her hearing protection - particularly at the holiday meal. In her case, Christmas often feels like a particularly difficult season as the sounds of people eating, sipping loudly and sniffling cause her profound anxiety. "I get this feeling of sudden panic, my entire being will just tighten and it as though I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to somehow control these sounds." Lottie has experienced this condition for several years and for her that makes the Christmas time "deeply taxing". Misophonia is a decreased threshold to specific noises, especially noises produced by those around you. The condition is widespread amongst adults. Experts discovered nearly 20% people are affected by it. Typically it's sounds connected to eating or drinking that trigger a reaction, as well as examples such as chewing, breathing, and repetitive finger tapping. 'Anxiety Inducing' She explains: "I face so many different triggering sounds at the holidays and that can be daunting and make you want to avoid it. "My family are understanding, but I'm very aware that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a really big battle of enduring my distress to ensure the event goes smoothly." So it's easy to understand why the most wonderful time of the year can transform into a source of agony for sufferers. Sounds that may be considered normal, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, unwrapping gifts, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can cause a visceral feeling that can even result in them avoiding social settings altogether. A 21-year-old student is already thinking about strategies to manage Christmas lunch. The student, a university student, who has dealt with misophonia for over a decade, explains currently her plan is to listen to music to manage the meal. Usually, she would frequently go in a separate space to minimize problematic noises. She says her misophonia is more intense around people she's most comfortable with, so the holidays is always "difficult". "There's an expectation to socialize with family, and I want to, but it's draining. "It's like this intense irritation washes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel anxious and immediately start crying and then the stress response will activate. "It may seem as if I'm being difficult and dramatic, but it's hard to explain unless you've experienced it." Several Strategies to Manage If you suffer then there are a few methods you can attempt to manage the situation, based on advice from experts. Picture Something Else: Imagination is essential. Attempt to link the specific noise bothering you with an unrelated image. So for example, try to envision someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. This technique is to help your brain learn that the sound triggering you is neutral. Use Humor: Use lightheartedness and turn the annoying sound into a challenge with the person. For example, if someone is crunching loudly attempt mimicking the sound. By mimicking, rather than feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an willing part. And the competition element should help distract your brain and make you somewhat less sensitive. Create a Scenario: One more method is to try to fabricate an explanation about the reason someone creating the sound is behaving that way. Imagine if someone was making a nasal sound, maybe they are not in good health or could be emotional. By doing this is re-framing the context of the sound. Even though the noise remains identical, your interpretation of it shifts from being aggravating, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.