🔗 Share this article The Holiday Season Can Be a Living Hell for Those with Misophonia. Over the years, individuals have found methods to try to better manage their misophonia. A 23-year-old is looking forward to seeing her loved ones this Christmas, but says one of the only ways she'll manage to get through it is by using her earplugs - notably for Christmas dinner. In her case, Christmas often feels like a notably tough time as the sounds of people eating, drinking noisily and breathing heavily cause her extremely uncomfortable. "I experience this feeling of sudden panic, my whole body will just tighten and it feels like I'm in danger, and I need to manage these sounds." She has lived with misophonia for several years and for her that renders the festive season "deeply taxing". Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to certain sounds, especially noises made by individuals. The condition is widespread in the UK. A study found almost one in five people are affected by it. Typically it's sounds linked to eating or drinking that trigger a reaction, along with things like crunching, heavy breathing, and foot tapping. Triggering Stress Lottie says: "You encounter so many different triggering sounds at the holidays and that can be daunting and make you want to avoid it. "My family are aware, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a really big battle of managing my symptoms to guarantee others enjoy themselves." So it's easy to understand why the traditionally happy period can quickly turn into a living nightmare for affected individuals. Noises that may appear innocuous, like someone sipping a beverage, unwrapping gifts, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can provoke a strong emotional response that can even lead to them avoiding social settings altogether. Another individual is planning coping mechanisms to help her during Christmas lunch. Jenna, a young adult, who has dealt with sound sensitivity for over a decade, states her strategy is to use headphones to manage the meal. On any other day, she would usually isolate herself in a different room to minimize triggering sounds. 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 be around loved ones, and I want to, but it's physically and mentally challenging. "The sensation is this uncontrollable anger comes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel anxious and begin to weep and then fight-or-flight will take over. "It can come across as if I'm being unreasonable and overreacting, but it's tough to describe if you haven't felt it." Three Ways to Cope For those affected then there are various strategies you can try to cope the situation, based on advice from specialists. Visualise a Different Scenario: Mental imagery is key. Try to associate the specific noise bothering you with an unrelated image. As an illustration, try to picture someone's slurping is just a sink draining water. By doing this is to retrain your mind that the sound affecting you poses no threat. Try a Competition: Use lightheartedness and turn the annoying sound into a game with the culprit. For instance, if someone is crunching loudly have a go at joining in. By mimicking, rather than feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an willing part. And the challenge should help distract your brain and make you slightly more tolerant. Craft a Story: One more method is to try to create a little story about why the person 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. By doing this is altering the perception of the sound. Although the noise doesn't change, your reaction of it changes from being aggravating, to feeling a bit more accepting towards it.
Over the years, individuals have found methods to try to better manage their misophonia. A 23-year-old is looking forward to seeing her loved ones this Christmas, but says one of the only ways she'll manage to get through it is by using her earplugs - notably for Christmas dinner. In her case, Christmas often feels like a notably tough time as the sounds of people eating, drinking noisily and breathing heavily cause her extremely uncomfortable. "I experience this feeling of sudden panic, my whole body will just tighten and it feels like I'm in danger, and I need to manage these sounds." She has lived with misophonia for several years and for her that renders the festive season "deeply taxing". Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to certain sounds, especially noises made by individuals. The condition is widespread in the UK. A study found almost one in five people are affected by it. Typically it's sounds linked to eating or drinking that trigger a reaction, along with things like crunching, heavy breathing, and foot tapping. Triggering Stress Lottie says: "You encounter so many different triggering sounds at the holidays and that can be daunting and make you want to avoid it. "My family are aware, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a really big battle of managing my symptoms to guarantee others enjoy themselves." So it's easy to understand why the traditionally happy period can quickly turn into a living nightmare for affected individuals. Noises that may appear innocuous, like someone sipping a beverage, unwrapping gifts, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can provoke a strong emotional response that can even lead to them avoiding social settings altogether. Another individual is planning coping mechanisms to help her during Christmas lunch. Jenna, a young adult, who has dealt with sound sensitivity for over a decade, states her strategy is to use headphones to manage the meal. On any other day, she would usually isolate herself in a different room to minimize triggering sounds. 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 be around loved ones, and I want to, but it's physically and mentally challenging. "The sensation is this uncontrollable anger comes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel anxious and begin to weep and then fight-or-flight will take over. "It can come across as if I'm being unreasonable and overreacting, but it's tough to describe if you haven't felt it." Three Ways to Cope For those affected then there are various strategies you can try to cope the situation, based on advice from specialists. Visualise a Different Scenario: Mental imagery is key. Try to associate the specific noise bothering you with an unrelated image. As an illustration, try to picture someone's slurping is just a sink draining water. By doing this is to retrain your mind that the sound affecting you poses no threat. Try a Competition: Use lightheartedness and turn the annoying sound into a game with the culprit. For instance, if someone is crunching loudly have a go at joining in. By mimicking, rather than feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an willing part. And the challenge should help distract your brain and make you slightly more tolerant. Craft a Story: One more method is to try to create a little story about why the person 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. By doing this is altering the perception of the sound. Although the noise doesn't change, your reaction of it changes from being aggravating, to feeling a bit more accepting towards it.