🔗 Share this article Christmas Transforms Into a Nightmare for Misophonia Sufferers. With time, people discover methods to handle their misophonia. A 23-year-old is looking forward to spending time with her family this Christmas, but admits one of the only ways she'll endure is by wearing her noise-cancelling devices - particularly at the holiday meal. In her case, Christmas can be a especially challenging time as the sounds of other people chewing, drinking noisily and nose-blowing trigger extremely uncomfortable. "I experience this feeling of immediate anxiety, my entire being will just tighten and it feels like I'm in peril, and I need to stop these sounds." Lottie has suffered from this condition for several years and for her that renders the festive season "incredibly overwhelming". Misophonia is a decreased threshold to certain sounds, particularly those made by other people. It's surprisingly common amongst adults. Experts reported nearly 20% people are affected by it. Frequently it's noises connected to eating or drinking that cause distress, along with examples such as crunching, breathing, and pen clicking. Triggering Stress Lottie says: "You encounter so many assorted problematic noises at Christmas and that can be anxiety inducing and make you want to avoid it. "My family are understanding, 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 make sure 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 slurping a Buck's fizz, opening presents, or enjoying festive food can provoke a strong emotional response that can even lead to them avoiding social settings altogether. Another individual is planning strategies to manage Christmas lunch. Jenna, a young adult, who has dealt with sound sensitivity for over a decade, explains the approach she intends to use is to use headphones to manage the meal. On any other day, she would often retreat in a quiet area to avoid distressing triggers. She says her condition is worse around people she's most familiar with, so Christmas is always "challenging". "There's an expectation to spend time with family, and I desire to, but it's draining. "It's like this intense irritation comes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel panicked and immediately start crying and then fight-or-flight will activate. "It may seem as if I'm being unreasonable and melodramatic, but it's hard to explain unless you've experienced it." A Few Techniques to Cope If it's an issue then there are a few methods you can attempt to manage the situation, as suggested by experts. Picture Something Else: Mental imagery is key. Try to associate the specific noise bothering you with something completely different. So for example, try to envision someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. This technique is to retrain your mind that the sound affecting you is neutral. Make it a Game: Have a bit of fun and make the irritating noise into a game with the person. As an example, if someone is eating noisily have a go at mimicking the sound. By joining in, instead of feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an willing part. And the challenge should help distract your brain and make you somewhat less sensitive. Craft a Story: A further strategy is to try to invent a reason about the reason someone creating the sound is doing it. For example if someone was making a nasal sound, maybe they are not in good health or are troubled. The idea is changing the meaning of the sound. Although the noise remains identical, your interpretation of it moves from being irritating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate about it.
With time, people discover methods to handle their misophonia. A 23-year-old is looking forward to spending time with her family this Christmas, but admits one of the only ways she'll endure is by wearing her noise-cancelling devices - particularly at the holiday meal. In her case, Christmas can be a especially challenging time as the sounds of other people chewing, drinking noisily and nose-blowing trigger extremely uncomfortable. "I experience this feeling of immediate anxiety, my entire being will just tighten and it feels like I'm in peril, and I need to stop these sounds." Lottie has suffered from this condition for several years and for her that renders the festive season "incredibly overwhelming". Misophonia is a decreased threshold to certain sounds, particularly those made by other people. It's surprisingly common amongst adults. Experts reported nearly 20% people are affected by it. Frequently it's noises connected to eating or drinking that cause distress, along with examples such as crunching, breathing, and pen clicking. Triggering Stress Lottie says: "You encounter so many assorted problematic noises at Christmas and that can be anxiety inducing and make you want to avoid it. "My family are understanding, 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 make sure 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 slurping a Buck's fizz, opening presents, or enjoying festive food can provoke a strong emotional response that can even lead to them avoiding social settings altogether. Another individual is planning strategies to manage Christmas lunch. Jenna, a young adult, who has dealt with sound sensitivity for over a decade, explains the approach she intends to use is to use headphones to manage the meal. On any other day, she would often retreat in a quiet area to avoid distressing triggers. She says her condition is worse around people she's most familiar with, so Christmas is always "challenging". "There's an expectation to spend time with family, and I desire to, but it's draining. "It's like this intense irritation comes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel panicked and immediately start crying and then fight-or-flight will activate. "It may seem as if I'm being unreasonable and melodramatic, but it's hard to explain unless you've experienced it." A Few Techniques to Cope If it's an issue then there are a few methods you can attempt to manage the situation, as suggested by experts. Picture Something Else: Mental imagery is key. Try to associate the specific noise bothering you with something completely different. So for example, try to envision someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. This technique is to retrain your mind that the sound affecting you is neutral. Make it a Game: Have a bit of fun and make the irritating noise into a game with the person. As an example, if someone is eating noisily have a go at mimicking the sound. By joining in, instead of feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an willing part. And the challenge should help distract your brain and make you somewhat less sensitive. Craft a Story: A further strategy is to try to invent a reason about the reason someone creating the sound is doing it. For example if someone was making a nasal sound, maybe they are not in good health or are troubled. The idea is changing the meaning of the sound. Although the noise remains identical, your interpretation of it moves from being irritating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate about it.