🔗 Share this article The Holiday Season Often Proves to Be a Nightmare for Those with Misophonia. Over the years, sufferers develop methods to try to better manage their misophonia. A 23-year-old hopes for spending time with her family over the holidays, but says a key strategy she'll cope is by wearing her noise-cancelling devices - particularly at Christmas dinner. For her, the holidays is a notably tough season as the auditory triggers of other people chewing, drinking noisily and nose-blowing cause her intense distress. "I experience 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 triggers." She has suffered from this condition since she was 16 and for her that causes the holiday period "exceptionally stressful". Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to particular auditory triggers, especially noises made by those around you. The condition is widespread in the UK. Researchers found nearly 20% people are affected by it. Typically it's noises associated with bodily functions that cause distress, as well as things like chewing, breathing, and foot tapping. A Source of Dread The sufferer notes: "You encounter so many assorted problematic noises at the holidays and that can be anxiety inducing and make you fear it. "My family are supportive, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a constant struggle of sacrificing my own sanity to make sure others enjoy themselves." So it's obvious why the traditionally happy period can rapidly become a living nightmare for affected individuals. Noises that may seem harmless, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, unwrapping gifts, or enjoying festive food can trigger a strong emotional response that can even result in them withdrawing from gatherings. A 21-year-old student is considering ways to help her during the family meal. Jenna, a young adult, who has struggled with misophonia since aged 10, says her strategy is to listen to music to get through dinner. Typically, she would often retreat in a separate space to escape problematic noises. She says her sensitivity is more pronounced around people she's most comfortable with, so the holidays is always "hard". "There is pressure to be around family, and I desire to, but it's draining. "The sensation is this sudden rage washes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel stressed and begin to weep and then panic will kick in. "It may seem as if I'm being unreasonable and melodramatic, but it's tough to describe if you haven't felt it." A Few Techniques to Cope If you suffer then there are various strategies you can attempt to manage the situation, based on advice from clinical psychologists. Picture an Alternative: Imagination is crucial. Attempt to link the particular sound affecting you with an unrelated image. As an illustration, try to picture someone's slurping is just a gentle stream. The goal is to help your brain learn that the sound affecting you poses no threat. Make it a Game: Introduce playfulness and turn the annoying sound into a challenge involving the source. For example, if someone is eating noisily attempt copying the noise. By mimicking, instead of feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an engaged person. And the game aspect should help distract your brain and make you slightly more tolerant. Craft a Story: One more method is to try to fabricate an explanation about the reason someone creating the sound is behaving that way. So if someone was making a nasal sound, perhaps they're not at their best or are troubled. By doing this is altering the perception of the sound. Although the sound remains identical, your interpretation of it moves from being irritating, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.
Over the years, sufferers develop methods to try to better manage their misophonia. A 23-year-old hopes for spending time with her family over the holidays, but says a key strategy she'll cope is by wearing her noise-cancelling devices - particularly at Christmas dinner. For her, the holidays is a notably tough season as the auditory triggers of other people chewing, drinking noisily and nose-blowing cause her intense distress. "I experience 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 triggers." She has suffered from this condition since she was 16 and for her that causes the holiday period "exceptionally stressful". Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to particular auditory triggers, especially noises made by those around you. The condition is widespread in the UK. Researchers found nearly 20% people are affected by it. Typically it's noises associated with bodily functions that cause distress, as well as things like chewing, breathing, and foot tapping. A Source of Dread The sufferer notes: "You encounter so many assorted problematic noises at the holidays and that can be anxiety inducing and make you fear it. "My family are supportive, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a constant struggle of sacrificing my own sanity to make sure others enjoy themselves." So it's obvious why the traditionally happy period can rapidly become a living nightmare for affected individuals. Noises that may seem harmless, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, unwrapping gifts, or enjoying festive food can trigger a strong emotional response that can even result in them withdrawing from gatherings. A 21-year-old student is considering ways to help her during the family meal. Jenna, a young adult, who has struggled with misophonia since aged 10, says her strategy is to listen to music to get through dinner. Typically, she would often retreat in a separate space to escape problematic noises. She says her sensitivity is more pronounced around people she's most comfortable with, so the holidays is always "hard". "There is pressure to be around family, and I desire to, but it's draining. "The sensation is this sudden rage washes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel stressed and begin to weep and then panic will kick in. "It may seem as if I'm being unreasonable and melodramatic, but it's tough to describe if you haven't felt it." A Few Techniques to Cope If you suffer then there are various strategies you can attempt to manage the situation, based on advice from clinical psychologists. Picture an Alternative: Imagination is crucial. Attempt to link the particular sound affecting you with an unrelated image. As an illustration, try to picture someone's slurping is just a gentle stream. The goal is to help your brain learn that the sound affecting you poses no threat. Make it a Game: Introduce playfulness and turn the annoying sound into a challenge involving the source. For example, if someone is eating noisily attempt copying the noise. By mimicking, instead of feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an engaged person. And the game aspect should help distract your brain and make you slightly more tolerant. Craft a Story: One more method is to try to fabricate an explanation about the reason someone creating the sound is behaving that way. So if someone was making a nasal sound, perhaps they're not at their best or are troubled. By doing this is altering the perception of the sound. Although the sound remains identical, your interpretation of it moves from being irritating, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.