🔗 Share this article The Holiday Season Often Proves to Be a Living Hell for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity. Through experience, individuals have found ways to try to better manage their condition. Lottie hopes for being with her family over the holidays, but says a primary method she'll manage to get through it is by wearing her earplugs - notably for the holiday meal. In her case, Christmas is a notably tough season as the noises of family members munching, slurping and breathing heavily trigger profound anxiety. "I experience this wave of instant dread, my whole body will just tighten and it seems as if I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to stop these sounds." The individual has experienced this condition since she was 16 and for her that makes the Christmas time "deeply taxing". Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to specific noises, particularly those coming from those around you. The condition is widespread across the population. A study found nearly 20% people are affected by it. Often it's noises connected to eating or drinking that lead to discomfort, along with things like chewing, breathing, and pen clicking. 'Anxiety Inducing' Lottie says: "I face so many assorted problematic noises at the holidays and that can be daunting and make you dread it. "My family are aware, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a constant struggle of sacrificing my own sanity to ensure everyone else is happy." So it's clear why the most wonderful season can transform into a stressful ordeal for affected individuals. Triggers that may seem harmless, like someone drinking champagne, opening presents, or enjoying festive food can trigger a visceral feeling that can even result in them avoiding social settings altogether. Jenna is planning strategies to manage the holiday dinner. The student, a university student, who has dealt with misophonia from childhood, explains the approach she intends to use is to use headphones to cope. Typically, she would frequently go in a different room to avoid problematic noises. She notes her sensitivity is more pronounced around people she's most comfortable with, so Christmas is always "challenging". "People assume you to spend time with family, and I wish to, but it's draining. "I feel as if this uncontrollable anger washes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel stressed and begin to weep and then panic will kick in. "It can come across as if I'm being oversensitive and dramatic, but it's hard to explain if you haven't felt it." A Few Techniques to Manage If it's an issue then there are some different techniques you can attempt to manage the situation, as suggested by specialists. Visualise a Different Scenario: Creative thinking is key. Work on connecting the triggering sound affecting you with something completely different. As an illustration, try to envision someone's slurping is just a gentle stream. The goal is to help your brain learn that the sound affecting you poses no threat. Use Humor: Use lightheartedness and make the irritating noise into a challenge involving the source. For example, if someone is eating noisily have a go at mimicking the sound. By mimicking, instead of feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an active participant. And the challenge should help redirect your focus and make you somewhat less sensitive. Craft a Story: Another technique is to try to fabricate an explanation about the reason someone creating the sound is doing it. For example if someone was sniffing, it could be that they're not in good health or maybe they're upset. The idea is re-framing the context of the sound. While the noise stays the same, your reaction of it shifts from being aggravating, to feeling a little more neutral towards it.
Through experience, individuals have found ways to try to better manage their condition. Lottie hopes for being with her family over the holidays, but says a primary method she'll manage to get through it is by wearing her earplugs - notably for the holiday meal. In her case, Christmas is a notably tough season as the noises of family members munching, slurping and breathing heavily trigger profound anxiety. "I experience this wave of instant dread, my whole body will just tighten and it seems as if I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to stop these sounds." The individual has experienced this condition since she was 16 and for her that makes the Christmas time "deeply taxing". Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to specific noises, particularly those coming from those around you. The condition is widespread across the population. A study found nearly 20% people are affected by it. Often it's noises connected to eating or drinking that lead to discomfort, along with things like chewing, breathing, and pen clicking. 'Anxiety Inducing' Lottie says: "I face so many assorted problematic noises at the holidays and that can be daunting and make you dread it. "My family are aware, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a constant struggle of sacrificing my own sanity to ensure everyone else is happy." So it's clear why the most wonderful season can transform into a stressful ordeal for affected individuals. Triggers that may seem harmless, like someone drinking champagne, opening presents, or enjoying festive food can trigger a visceral feeling that can even result in them avoiding social settings altogether. Jenna is planning strategies to manage the holiday dinner. The student, a university student, who has dealt with misophonia from childhood, explains the approach she intends to use is to use headphones to cope. Typically, she would frequently go in a different room to avoid problematic noises. She notes her sensitivity is more pronounced around people she's most comfortable with, so Christmas is always "challenging". "People assume you to spend time with family, and I wish to, but it's draining. "I feel as if this uncontrollable anger washes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel stressed and begin to weep and then panic will kick in. "It can come across as if I'm being oversensitive and dramatic, but it's hard to explain if you haven't felt it." A Few Techniques to Manage If it's an issue then there are some different techniques you can attempt to manage the situation, as suggested by specialists. Visualise a Different Scenario: Creative thinking is key. Work on connecting the triggering sound affecting you with something completely different. As an illustration, try to envision someone's slurping is just a gentle stream. The goal is to help your brain learn that the sound affecting you poses no threat. Use Humor: Use lightheartedness and make the irritating noise into a challenge involving the source. For example, if someone is eating noisily have a go at mimicking the sound. By mimicking, instead of feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an active participant. And the challenge should help redirect your focus and make you somewhat less sensitive. Craft a Story: Another technique is to try to fabricate an explanation about the reason someone creating the sound is doing it. For example if someone was sniffing, it could be that they're not in good health or maybe they're upset. The idea is re-framing the context of the sound. While the noise stays the same, your reaction of it shifts from being aggravating, to feeling a little more neutral towards it.