🔗 Share this article Christmas Transforms Into a Terrifying Experience for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity. With time, people develop methods to handle their misophonia. A 23-year-old hopes for spending time with her loved ones over the holidays, but notes one of the only ways she'll endure is by wearing her earplugs - notably for the main festive feast. For her, the holidays is a particularly difficult period as the noises of people eating, slurping and sniffling trigger profound anxiety. "There's this sensation of sudden panic, my every muscle will just freeze and it seems as if I'm in peril, and I need to somehow control these noises." The individual has suffered from this condition from a young age and for her that makes the Christmas time "incredibly overwhelming". Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to certain sounds, particularly those coming from those around you. It is prevalent amongst adults. Experts reported a significant portion of people suffer from it. Typically it's sounds associated with bodily functions that cause distress, as well as examples such as crunching, heavy breathing, and foot tapping. Triggering Stress She explains: "You encounter so many various auditory triggers at Christmas and that can be stressful and make you want to avoid it. "My relatives are aware, but I'm very aware that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a really big battle of managing my symptoms to make sure everyone else is happy." So it's obvious why the most wonderful time of the year can rapidly become a source of agony for those with the condition. Triggers that may appear innocuous, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, unwrapping gifts, or eating the holiday meal can trigger a visceral feeling that can even cause them avoiding social settings altogether. A 21-year-old student is already thinking about coping mechanisms to manage the holiday dinner. Jenna, a young adult, who has struggled with sound sensitivity from childhood, says her strategy is to put her earphones in to get through dinner. Usually, she would frequently go in a different room to escape problematic noises. She explains her misophonia is worse around people she's closest to, so the holidays is always "challenging". "There is pressure to be around family, and I wish to, but it's draining. "It's like this sudden rage takes hold, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel stressed and burst into tears and then fight-or-flight will kick in. "It can come across as if I'm being difficult and overreacting, but it's tough to describe without firsthand experience." Three Ways to Handle It For those affected then there are some different techniques you can attempt to manage the situation, as suggested by specialists. Imagine an Alternative: Mental imagery is essential. Try to associate the particular sound affecting you with something completely different. So for example, try to envision someone's slurping is just a gentle stream. By doing this is to retrain your mind that the sound affecting you poses no threat. Use Humor: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a challenge with the culprit. As an example, if someone is eating noisily have a go at copying the noise. Through participation, rather than feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an active participant. And the competition element should help distract your brain and make you a little less affected. Create a Scenario: One more method is to try to invent a reason about why the person creating the sound is doing it. For example if someone was sniffing, it could be that they're not feeling well or could be emotional. By doing this is re-framing the context of the sound. Although the noise doesn't change, your understanding of it changes from being annoying, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.
With time, people develop methods to handle their misophonia. A 23-year-old hopes for spending time with her loved ones over the holidays, but notes one of the only ways she'll endure is by wearing her earplugs - notably for the main festive feast. For her, the holidays is a particularly difficult period as the noises of people eating, slurping and sniffling trigger profound anxiety. "There's this sensation of sudden panic, my every muscle will just freeze and it seems as if I'm in peril, and I need to somehow control these noises." The individual has suffered from this condition from a young age and for her that makes the Christmas time "incredibly overwhelming". Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to certain sounds, particularly those coming from those around you. It is prevalent amongst adults. Experts reported a significant portion of people suffer from it. Typically it's sounds associated with bodily functions that cause distress, as well as examples such as crunching, heavy breathing, and foot tapping. Triggering Stress She explains: "You encounter so many various auditory triggers at Christmas and that can be stressful and make you want to avoid it. "My relatives are aware, but I'm very aware that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a really big battle of managing my symptoms to make sure everyone else is happy." So it's obvious why the most wonderful time of the year can rapidly become a source of agony for those with the condition. Triggers that may appear innocuous, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, unwrapping gifts, or eating the holiday meal can trigger a visceral feeling that can even cause them avoiding social settings altogether. A 21-year-old student is already thinking about coping mechanisms to manage the holiday dinner. Jenna, a young adult, who has struggled with sound sensitivity from childhood, says her strategy is to put her earphones in to get through dinner. Usually, she would frequently go in a different room to escape problematic noises. She explains her misophonia is worse around people she's closest to, so the holidays is always "challenging". "There is pressure to be around family, and I wish to, but it's draining. "It's like this sudden rage takes hold, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel stressed and burst into tears and then fight-or-flight will kick in. "It can come across as if I'm being difficult and overreacting, but it's tough to describe without firsthand experience." Three Ways to Handle It For those affected then there are some different techniques you can attempt to manage the situation, as suggested by specialists. Imagine an Alternative: Mental imagery is essential. Try to associate the particular sound affecting you with something completely different. So for example, try to envision someone's slurping is just a gentle stream. By doing this is to retrain your mind that the sound affecting you poses no threat. Use Humor: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a challenge with the culprit. As an example, if someone is eating noisily have a go at copying the noise. Through participation, rather than feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an active participant. And the competition element should help distract your brain and make you a little less affected. Create a Scenario: One more method is to try to invent a reason about why the person creating the sound is doing it. For example if someone was sniffing, it could be that they're not feeling well or could be emotional. By doing this is re-framing the context of the sound. Although the noise doesn't change, your understanding of it changes from being annoying, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.