🔗 Share this article The Holiday Season Often Proves to Be a Terrifying Experience for Misophonia Sufferers. Over the years, sufferers discover ways to handle their misophonia. One young woman anticipates being with her relatives this Christmas, but notes a primary method she'll manage to get through it is by relying on her hearing protection - particularly at the holiday meal. In her case, the holidays is a particularly difficult time as the auditory triggers of people eating, slurping and nose-blowing cause her intense distress. "I get this sensation of sudden panic, my every muscle will just freeze and it as though I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to somehow control these triggers." Lottie has suffered from misophonia since she was 16 and for her that makes the holiday period "deeply taxing". Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to certain sounds, notably sounds coming from individuals. It is prevalent in the UK. Experts reported a significant portion of people suffer from it. Frequently it's sounds connected to eating or drinking that cause distress, along with things like crunching, breathing, and repetitive finger tapping. Triggering Stress Lottie says: "I face so many assorted problematic noises at the holidays and that can be anxiety inducing and make you want to avoid it. "My family are supportive, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a internal conflict of enduring my distress to make sure the event goes smoothly." So it's obvious why the supposedly joyous season can quickly turn into a stressful ordeal for affected individuals. Triggers that may seem harmless, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, opening presents, or enjoying festive food can provoke a visceral feeling that can even result in them avoiding social settings altogether. A 21-year-old student is considering coping mechanisms to manage the holiday dinner. The student, a young adult, who has experienced sound sensitivity from childhood, explains currently her plan is to put her earphones in to get through dinner. Usually, she would frequently go in a different room to avoid distressing triggers. She explains her condition is more pronounced around people she's most comfortable with, so Christmas is always "challenging". "People assume you to spend time with loved ones, and I wish to, but it's exhausting on all levels. "It's like this uncontrollable anger takes hold, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel stressed and begin to weep and then the stress response will take over. "It may seem as if I'm being oversensitive and overreacting, but it's tough to describe without firsthand experience." Several Strategies to Handle It If you suffer then there are various strategies you can try to cope the situation, based on advice from experts. Visualise an Alternative: Mental imagery is key. Work on connecting the particular sound bothering you with a neutral concept. So for example, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. The goal is to retrain your mind that the sound affecting you isn't harmful. Use Humor: Have a bit of fun and turn the annoying sound into a game with the person. For example, if someone is crunching loudly try mimicking the sound. Through participation, rather than feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an willing part. And the competition element should help shift your attention and make you a little less affected. Craft a Story: Another technique is to try to fabricate an explanation about the reason someone making the noise is behaving that way. Imagine if someone was sniffing, perhaps they're not feeling well or maybe they're upset. By doing this is changing the meaning of the sound. Although the sound remains identical, your interpretation of it shifts from being aggravating, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.
Over the years, sufferers discover ways to handle their misophonia. One young woman anticipates being with her relatives this Christmas, but notes a primary method she'll manage to get through it is by relying on her hearing protection - particularly at the holiday meal. In her case, the holidays is a particularly difficult time as the auditory triggers of people eating, slurping and nose-blowing cause her intense distress. "I get this sensation of sudden panic, my every muscle will just freeze and it as though I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to somehow control these triggers." Lottie has suffered from misophonia since she was 16 and for her that makes the holiday period "deeply taxing". Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to certain sounds, notably sounds coming from individuals. It is prevalent in the UK. Experts reported a significant portion of people suffer from it. Frequently it's sounds connected to eating or drinking that cause distress, along with things like crunching, breathing, and repetitive finger tapping. Triggering Stress Lottie says: "I face so many assorted problematic noises at the holidays and that can be anxiety inducing and make you want to avoid it. "My family are supportive, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a internal conflict of enduring my distress to make sure the event goes smoothly." So it's obvious why the supposedly joyous season can quickly turn into a stressful ordeal for affected individuals. Triggers that may seem harmless, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, opening presents, or enjoying festive food can provoke a visceral feeling that can even result in them avoiding social settings altogether. A 21-year-old student is considering coping mechanisms to manage the holiday dinner. The student, a young adult, who has experienced sound sensitivity from childhood, explains currently her plan is to put her earphones in to get through dinner. Usually, she would frequently go in a different room to avoid distressing triggers. She explains her condition is more pronounced around people she's most comfortable with, so Christmas is always "challenging". "People assume you to spend time with loved ones, and I wish to, but it's exhausting on all levels. "It's like this uncontrollable anger takes hold, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel stressed and begin to weep and then the stress response will take over. "It may seem as if I'm being oversensitive and overreacting, but it's tough to describe without firsthand experience." Several Strategies to Handle It If you suffer then there are various strategies you can try to cope the situation, based on advice from experts. Visualise an Alternative: Mental imagery is key. Work on connecting the particular sound bothering you with a neutral concept. So for example, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. The goal is to retrain your mind that the sound affecting you isn't harmful. Use Humor: Have a bit of fun and turn the annoying sound into a game with the person. For example, if someone is crunching loudly try mimicking the sound. Through participation, rather than feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an willing part. And the competition element should help shift your attention and make you a little less affected. Craft a Story: Another technique is to try to fabricate an explanation about the reason someone making the noise is behaving that way. Imagine if someone was sniffing, perhaps they're not feeling well or maybe they're upset. By doing this is changing the meaning of the sound. Although the sound remains identical, your interpretation of it shifts from being aggravating, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.