🔗 Share this article Christmas Can Be a Nightmare for Those with Misophonia. Through experience, people have found ways to handle their sound sensitivity. One young woman hopes for seeing her family over the holidays, but notes a key strategy she'll endure is by wearing her earplugs - especially during Christmas dinner. In her case, the holidays often feels like a especially challenging season as the auditory triggers of people eating, drinking noisily and nose-blowing trigger intense distress. "There's this wave of sudden panic, my whole body will just tense up and it as though I'm in danger, and I need to stop these sounds." She has suffered from sound sensitivity for several years and for her that causes the Christmas time "deeply taxing". Misophonia is a decreased threshold to particular auditory triggers, notably sounds made by other people. It's surprisingly common in the UK. A study found a significant portion of people are affected by it. Typically it's sounds linked to eating or drinking that cause distress, including examples such as crunching, breathing, and foot tapping. 'Anxiety Inducing' Lottie says: "There are so many various auditory triggers at Christmas and that can be anxiety inducing and make you fear it. "My family are supportive, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to upset others. It's like a really big battle of managing my symptoms to guarantee others enjoy themselves." So it's obvious why the most wonderful time of the year can transform into a stressful ordeal for those with the condition. Triggers that may seem harmless, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, opening presents, or eating the holiday meal can provoke a strong emotional response that can even cause them avoiding social settings altogether. A 21-year-old student is planning strategies to help her during the holiday dinner. She, a university student, who has experienced misophonia from childhood, explains her strategy is to use headphones to manage the meal. Typically, she would often retreat in a quiet area to escape triggering sounds. She explains her misophonia is worse around people she's most familiar with, so the holidays is always "challenging". "There's an expectation to spend time with loved ones, and I want to, but it's draining. "The sensation is this intense irritation washes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel stressed and immediately start crying and then fight-or-flight will activate. "It can come across as if I'm being oversensitive and overreacting, but it's hard to explain without firsthand experience." Several Strategies to Cope If you suffer then there are various strategies you can attempt to manage the situation, according to experts. Visualise Something Else: Mental imagery is key. Try to associate the triggering sound causing distress with something completely different. For instance, try to picture someone's slurping is just a sink draining water. By doing this is to retrain your mind that the sound triggering you isn't harmful. Make it a Game: Have a bit of fun and turn the annoying sound into a challenge with the culprit. 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. Develop a Narrative: Another technique is to try to fabricate an explanation about why the person making the noise is doing it. So 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. Although the noise doesn't change, your understanding of it moves from being irritating, to feeling a little more neutral about it.
Through experience, people have found ways to handle their sound sensitivity. One young woman hopes for seeing her family over the holidays, but notes a key strategy she'll endure is by wearing her earplugs - especially during Christmas dinner. In her case, the holidays often feels like a especially challenging season as the auditory triggers of people eating, drinking noisily and nose-blowing trigger intense distress. "There's this wave of sudden panic, my whole body will just tense up and it as though I'm in danger, and I need to stop these sounds." She has suffered from sound sensitivity for several years and for her that causes the Christmas time "deeply taxing". Misophonia is a decreased threshold to particular auditory triggers, notably sounds made by other people. It's surprisingly common in the UK. A study found a significant portion of people are affected by it. Typically it's sounds linked to eating or drinking that cause distress, including examples such as crunching, breathing, and foot tapping. 'Anxiety Inducing' Lottie says: "There are so many various auditory triggers at Christmas and that can be anxiety inducing and make you fear it. "My family are supportive, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to upset others. It's like a really big battle of managing my symptoms to guarantee others enjoy themselves." So it's obvious why the most wonderful time of the year can transform into a stressful ordeal for those with the condition. Triggers that may seem harmless, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, opening presents, or eating the holiday meal can provoke a strong emotional response that can even cause them avoiding social settings altogether. A 21-year-old student is planning strategies to help her during the holiday dinner. She, a university student, who has experienced misophonia from childhood, explains her strategy is to use headphones to manage the meal. Typically, she would often retreat in a quiet area to escape triggering sounds. She explains her misophonia is worse around people she's most familiar with, so the holidays is always "challenging". "There's an expectation to spend time with loved ones, and I want to, but it's draining. "The sensation is this intense irritation washes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel stressed and immediately start crying and then fight-or-flight will activate. "It can come across as if I'm being oversensitive and overreacting, but it's hard to explain without firsthand experience." Several Strategies to Cope If you suffer then there are various strategies you can attempt to manage the situation, according to experts. Visualise Something Else: Mental imagery is key. Try to associate the triggering sound causing distress with something completely different. For instance, try to picture someone's slurping is just a sink draining water. By doing this is to retrain your mind that the sound triggering you isn't harmful. Make it a Game: Have a bit of fun and turn the annoying sound into a challenge with the culprit. 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. Develop a Narrative: Another technique is to try to fabricate an explanation about why the person making the noise is doing it. So 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. Although the noise doesn't change, your understanding of it moves from being irritating, to feeling a little more neutral about it.