🔗 Share this article Christmas Transforms Into a Terrifying Experience for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity. Through experience, sufferers develop ways to try to better manage their misophonia. A 23-year-old anticipates spending time with her relatives this Christmas, but says one of the only ways she'll cope is by relying on her earplugs - notably for the main festive feast. For her, Christmas often feels like a particularly difficult season as the sounds of other people chewing, drinking noisily and breathing heavily trigger profound anxiety. "I experience this sensation of sudden panic, my whole body will just tighten and it feels like I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to manage these triggers." The individual has lived with sound sensitivity from a young age and for her that makes the holiday period "incredibly overwhelming". Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to certain sounds, particularly those produced by individuals. The condition is widespread across the population. A study reported nearly 20% people experience it. Typically it's noises associated with bodily functions that trigger a reaction, along with examples such as chewing, breathing, and foot tapping. A Source of Dread She explains: "You encounter so many various auditory triggers at Christmas and that can be stressful and make you fear it. "My relatives are supportive, but I'm very aware that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a constant struggle of sacrificing my own sanity to ensure others enjoy themselves." So it's easy to understand why the supposedly joyous time of the year can rapidly become a stressful ordeal for sufferers. Sounds that may be considered normal, like someone sipping a beverage, unwrapping gifts, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can trigger a strong emotional response that can even lead to them avoiding social settings altogether. A 21-year-old student is considering strategies to manage the holiday dinner. Jenna, a young adult, who has experienced sound sensitivity for over a decade, says her strategy is to use headphones to cope. On any other day, she would frequently go in a quiet area to minimize triggering sounds. She explains her misophonia is more intense around people she's closest to, so the holidays is always "difficult". "People assume you to spend time with loved ones, and I wish to, but it's exhausting on all levels. "The sensation is this intense irritation takes hold, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel panicked and begin to weep and then panic will kick in. "It may seem as if I'm being oversensitive and melodramatic, but it's tough to describe unless you've experienced it." Three Ways to Manage For those affected then there are some different techniques you can try to cope the situation, according to specialists. Visualise Something Else: Imagination is essential. Attempt to link the triggering sound bothering you with something completely different. So for example, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a waterfall. The goal is to help your brain learn that the sound triggering you isn't harmful. Make it a Game: Use lightheartedness and make the irritating noise into a challenge involving the source. As an example, if someone is eating noisily try mimicking the sound. By mimicking, instead of feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an active participant. And the game aspect should help shift your attention and make you a little less affected. Create a Scenario: A further strategy is to try to invent a reason about the reason someone making the noise is doing it. For example if someone was making a nasal sound, perhaps they're not in good health or maybe they're upset. By doing this is altering the perception of the sound. Although the sound stays the same, your understanding of it changes from being annoying, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.
Through experience, sufferers develop ways to try to better manage their misophonia. A 23-year-old anticipates spending time with her relatives this Christmas, but says one of the only ways she'll cope is by relying on her earplugs - notably for the main festive feast. For her, Christmas often feels like a particularly difficult season as the sounds of other people chewing, drinking noisily and breathing heavily trigger profound anxiety. "I experience this sensation of sudden panic, my whole body will just tighten and it feels like I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to manage these triggers." The individual has lived with sound sensitivity from a young age and for her that makes the holiday period "incredibly overwhelming". Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to certain sounds, particularly those produced by individuals. The condition is widespread across the population. A study reported nearly 20% people experience it. Typically it's noises associated with bodily functions that trigger a reaction, along with examples such as chewing, breathing, and foot tapping. A Source of Dread She explains: "You encounter so many various auditory triggers at Christmas and that can be stressful and make you fear it. "My relatives are supportive, but I'm very aware that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a constant struggle of sacrificing my own sanity to ensure others enjoy themselves." So it's easy to understand why the supposedly joyous time of the year can rapidly become a stressful ordeal for sufferers. Sounds that may be considered normal, like someone sipping a beverage, unwrapping gifts, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can trigger a strong emotional response that can even lead to them avoiding social settings altogether. A 21-year-old student is considering strategies to manage the holiday dinner. Jenna, a young adult, who has experienced sound sensitivity for over a decade, says her strategy is to use headphones to cope. On any other day, she would frequently go in a quiet area to minimize triggering sounds. She explains her misophonia is more intense around people she's closest to, so the holidays is always "difficult". "People assume you to spend time with loved ones, and I wish to, but it's exhausting on all levels. "The sensation is this intense irritation takes hold, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel panicked and begin to weep and then panic will kick in. "It may seem as if I'm being oversensitive and melodramatic, but it's tough to describe unless you've experienced it." Three Ways to Manage For those affected then there are some different techniques you can try to cope the situation, according to specialists. Visualise Something Else: Imagination is essential. Attempt to link the triggering sound bothering you with something completely different. So for example, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a waterfall. The goal is to help your brain learn that the sound triggering you isn't harmful. Make it a Game: Use lightheartedness and make the irritating noise into a challenge involving the source. As an example, if someone is eating noisily try mimicking the sound. By mimicking, instead of feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an active participant. And the game aspect should help shift your attention and make you a little less affected. Create a Scenario: A further strategy is to try to invent a reason about the reason someone making the noise is doing it. For example if someone was making a nasal sound, perhaps they're not in good health or maybe they're upset. By doing this is altering the perception of the sound. Although the sound stays the same, your understanding of it changes from being annoying, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.