đź”— Share this article Christmas Can Be a Living Hell for Those with Misophonia. With time, people discover ways to handle their misophonia. One young woman hopes for being with her loved ones during the festive period, but says a key strategy she'll manage to get through it is by wearing her earplugs - especially during the holiday meal. In her case, Christmas is a especially challenging time as the noises of other people chewing, sipping loudly and sniffling make her feel profound anxiety. "There's this sensation of sudden panic, my every muscle will just tense up and it feels like I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to stop these triggers." She has experienced misophonia from a young age and for her that makes the holiday period "deeply taxing". Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to particular auditory triggers, especially noises coming from other people. It's surprisingly common amongst adults. A study reported a significant portion of people experience it. Typically it's noises connected to bodily functions that cause distress, including examples such as crunching, heavy breathing, and pen clicking. Triggering Stress Lottie says: "I face so many assorted problematic noises at Christmas and that can be stressful and make you fear it. "My relatives are aware, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a constant struggle of managing my symptoms to guarantee the event goes smoothly." So it's obvious why the most wonderful time of the year can transform into a source of agony for those with the condition. Noises that may seem harmless, like someone sipping a beverage, opening presents, or enjoying festive food can provoke a visceral feeling that can even cause them skipping events entirely. A 21-year-old student is already thinking about coping mechanisms to help her during the holiday dinner. She, a 21-year-old student, who has struggled with sound sensitivity for over a decade, states currently her plan is to use headphones to get through dinner. Typically, she would usually isolate herself in a quiet area to escape problematic noises. She explains her misophonia is worse around people she's most familiar with, so Christmas is always "hard". "People assume you to socialize with loved ones, and I desire to, but it's draining. "The sensation is this uncontrollable anger takes hold, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel anxious and burst into tears and then fight-or-flight will kick in. "It can come across as if I'm being unreasonable and dramatic, but it's tough to describe if you haven't felt it." A Few Techniques to Manage If you suffer then there are various strategies you can attempt to manage the situation, according to experts. Imagine Something Else: Imagination is essential. Work on connecting the particular sound affecting you with a neutral concept. For instance, try to picture someone's slurping is just a waterfall. The goal is to retrain your mind that the sound triggering you is neutral. Make it a Game: Use lightheartedness and make the irritating noise into a game involving the source. As an example, if someone is eating noisily have a go at joining in. By mimicking, instead of feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an engaged person. And the competition element should help distract your brain and make you a little less affected. Craft a Story: One more method is to try to fabricate an explanation about the reason someone creating the sound is doing it. Imagine if someone was sniffing, perhaps they're not feeling well or are troubled. By doing this is changing the meaning of the sound. Although the sound remains identical, your interpretation of it changes from being aggravating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate towards it.
With time, people discover ways to handle their misophonia. One young woman hopes for being with her loved ones during the festive period, but says a key strategy she'll manage to get through it is by wearing her earplugs - especially during the holiday meal. In her case, Christmas is a especially challenging time as the noises of other people chewing, sipping loudly and sniffling make her feel profound anxiety. "There's this sensation of sudden panic, my every muscle will just tense up and it feels like I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to stop these triggers." She has experienced misophonia from a young age and for her that makes the holiday period "deeply taxing". Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to particular auditory triggers, especially noises coming from other people. It's surprisingly common amongst adults. A study reported a significant portion of people experience it. Typically it's noises connected to bodily functions that cause distress, including examples such as crunching, heavy breathing, and pen clicking. Triggering Stress Lottie says: "I face so many assorted problematic noises at Christmas and that can be stressful and make you fear it. "My relatives are aware, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a constant struggle of managing my symptoms to guarantee the event goes smoothly." So it's obvious why the most wonderful time of the year can transform into a source of agony for those with the condition. Noises that may seem harmless, like someone sipping a beverage, opening presents, or enjoying festive food can provoke a visceral feeling that can even cause them skipping events entirely. A 21-year-old student is already thinking about coping mechanisms to help her during the holiday dinner. She, a 21-year-old student, who has struggled with sound sensitivity for over a decade, states currently her plan is to use headphones to get through dinner. Typically, she would usually isolate herself in a quiet area to escape problematic noises. She explains her misophonia is worse around people she's most familiar with, so Christmas is always "hard". "People assume you to socialize with loved ones, and I desire to, but it's draining. "The sensation is this uncontrollable anger takes hold, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel anxious and burst into tears and then fight-or-flight will kick in. "It can come across as if I'm being unreasonable and dramatic, but it's tough to describe if you haven't felt it." A Few Techniques to Manage If you suffer then there are various strategies you can attempt to manage the situation, according to experts. Imagine Something Else: Imagination is essential. Work on connecting the particular sound affecting you with a neutral concept. For instance, try to picture someone's slurping is just a waterfall. The goal is to retrain your mind that the sound triggering you is neutral. Make it a Game: Use lightheartedness and make the irritating noise into a game involving the source. As an example, if someone is eating noisily have a go at joining in. By mimicking, instead of feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an engaged person. And the competition element should help distract your brain and make you a little less affected. Craft a Story: One more method is to try to fabricate an explanation about the reason someone creating the sound is doing it. Imagine if someone was sniffing, perhaps they're not feeling well or are troubled. By doing this is changing the meaning of the sound. Although the sound remains identical, your interpretation of it changes from being aggravating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate towards it.