🔗 Share this article The Holiday Season Transforms Into a Living Hell for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity. With time, individuals discover ways to handle their misophonia. Lottie hopes for being with her family during the festive period, but notes a key strategy she'll manage to get through it is by wearing her noise-cancelling devices - particularly at Christmas dinner. In her case, this time of year often feels like a notably tough season as the noises of family members munching, sipping loudly and breathing heavily trigger intense distress. "I get this sensation of immediate anxiety, my whole body will just tense up and it feels like I'm in danger, and I need to manage these noises." She has lived with sound sensitivity from a young age and for her that renders the Christmas time "exceptionally stressful". Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to particular auditory triggers, especially noises coming from those around you. It is prevalent across the population. Researchers reported a significant portion of people suffer from it. Typically it's noises associated with mouth, throat or facial movements that lead to discomfort, along with things like chewing, heavy breathing, and foot tapping. A Source of Dread The sufferer notes: "You encounter so many different triggering sounds at Christmas and that can be daunting and make you fear it. "My family are supportive, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a internal conflict of sacrificing my own sanity to guarantee the event goes smoothly." So it's obvious why the most wonderful season can transform into a stressful ordeal for those with the condition. Triggers that may be considered normal, like someone sipping a beverage, opening presents, or eating the holiday meal can cause a visceral feeling that can even lead to them skipping events entirely. Jenna is already thinking about coping mechanisms to get her through the family meal. The student, a university student, who has experienced sound sensitivity since aged 10, says her strategy is to use headphones to manage the meal. Typically, she would usually isolate herself in a separate space to escape triggering sounds. She notes her sensitivity is worse around people she's most comfortable with, so the holidays is always "challenging". "There is pressure to spend time with loved ones, and I wish to, but it's physically and mentally challenging. "It's like this uncontrollable anger comes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel anxious and burst into tears and then fight-or-flight will take over. "To others it appears as if I'm being oversensitive and dramatic, but it's hard to explain if you haven't felt it." Several Strategies to Manage If you suffer then there are a few methods you can try to cope the situation, as suggested by experts. Visualise a Different Scenario: Creative thinking is crucial. Work on connecting the particular sound affecting you with something completely different. So for example, try to picture someone's slurping is just a sink draining water. This technique is to retrain your mind that the sound triggering you is neutral. Make it a Game: Use lightheartedness and turn the annoying sound into a game with the person. As an example, if someone is eating noisily attempt joining in. By mimicking, instead of feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an willing part. And the competition element should help shift your attention and make you somewhat less sensitive. Craft a Story: A further strategy is to try to fabricate an explanation about the reason someone creating the sound is doing it. Imagine if someone was making a nasal sound, maybe they are not in good health or could be emotional. This approach is altering the perception of the sound. Even though the sound stays the same, your interpretation of it changes from being annoying, to feeling a bit more accepting towards it.
With time, individuals discover ways to handle their misophonia. Lottie hopes for being with her family during the festive period, but notes a key strategy she'll manage to get through it is by wearing her noise-cancelling devices - particularly at Christmas dinner. In her case, this time of year often feels like a notably tough season as the noises of family members munching, sipping loudly and breathing heavily trigger intense distress. "I get this sensation of immediate anxiety, my whole body will just tense up and it feels like I'm in danger, and I need to manage these noises." She has lived with sound sensitivity from a young age and for her that renders the Christmas time "exceptionally stressful". Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to particular auditory triggers, especially noises coming from those around you. It is prevalent across the population. Researchers reported a significant portion of people suffer from it. Typically it's noises associated with mouth, throat or facial movements that lead to discomfort, along with things like chewing, heavy breathing, and foot tapping. A Source of Dread The sufferer notes: "You encounter so many different triggering sounds at Christmas and that can be daunting and make you fear it. "My family are supportive, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a internal conflict of sacrificing my own sanity to guarantee the event goes smoothly." So it's obvious why the most wonderful season can transform into a stressful ordeal for those with the condition. Triggers that may be considered normal, like someone sipping a beverage, opening presents, or eating the holiday meal can cause a visceral feeling that can even lead to them skipping events entirely. Jenna is already thinking about coping mechanisms to get her through the family meal. The student, a university student, who has experienced sound sensitivity since aged 10, says her strategy is to use headphones to manage the meal. Typically, she would usually isolate herself in a separate space to escape triggering sounds. She notes her sensitivity is worse around people she's most comfortable with, so the holidays is always "challenging". "There is pressure to spend time with loved ones, and I wish to, but it's physically and mentally challenging. "It's like this uncontrollable anger comes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel anxious and burst into tears and then fight-or-flight will take over. "To others it appears as if I'm being oversensitive and dramatic, but it's hard to explain if you haven't felt it." Several Strategies to Manage If you suffer then there are a few methods you can try to cope the situation, as suggested by experts. Visualise a Different Scenario: Creative thinking is crucial. Work on connecting the particular sound affecting you with something completely different. So for example, try to picture someone's slurping is just a sink draining water. This technique is to retrain your mind that the sound triggering you is neutral. Make it a Game: Use lightheartedness and turn the annoying sound into a game with the person. As an example, if someone is eating noisily attempt joining in. By mimicking, instead of feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an willing part. And the competition element should help shift your attention and make you somewhat less sensitive. Craft a Story: A further strategy is to try to fabricate an explanation about the reason someone creating the sound is doing it. Imagine if someone was making a nasal sound, maybe they are not in good health or could be emotional. This approach is altering the perception of the sound. Even though the sound stays the same, your interpretation of it changes from being annoying, to feeling a bit more accepting towards it.