🔗 Share this article The Holiday Season Can Be a Terrifying Experience for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity. Through experience, individuals discover methods to try to better manage their misophonia. A 23-year-old is looking forward to seeing her loved ones over the holidays, but says 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 time as the noises of people eating, drinking noisily and sniffling trigger profound anxiety. "There's this sensation of sudden panic, my entire being will just tense up and it feels like I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to manage these sounds." Lottie has experienced sound sensitivity for several years and for her that causes the Christmas time "deeply taxing". Misophonia is a decreased threshold to certain sounds, especially noises produced by other people. The condition is widespread in the UK. A study found almost one in five people experience it. Often it's noises connected to eating or drinking that trigger a reaction, along with things like chewing, breathing, and repetitive finger tapping. Triggering Stress Lottie says: "I face so many different triggering sounds at Christmas and that can be daunting and make you dread it. "Those close to me are understanding, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a constant struggle of enduring my distress to make sure the event goes smoothly." So it's easy to understand why the traditionally happy period can quickly turn into a stressful ordeal for affected individuals. Noises that may seem harmless, like someone sipping a beverage, opening presents, or eating the holiday meal can provoke a visceral feeling that can even result in them withdrawing from gatherings. Jenna is considering coping mechanisms to get her through Christmas lunch. The student, a 21-year-old student, who has struggled with sound sensitivity from childhood, states her strategy is to put her earphones in to manage the meal. Usually, she would frequently go in a quiet area to avoid distressing triggers. She explains her sensitivity is worse around people she's most familiar with, so Christmas is always "hard". "There's an expectation to spend time with family, and I desire to, but it's exhausting on all levels. "It's like this intense irritation takes hold, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel anxious and immediately start crying and then the stress response will kick in. "To others it appears as if I'm being difficult and overreacting, but it's tough to describe if you haven't felt it." A Few Techniques to Cope If you suffer then there are a few methods you can try to cope the situation, according to experts. Visualise a Different Scenario: Mental imagery is crucial. Try to associate the particular sound causing distress with an unrelated image. As an illustration, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. This technique is to help your brain learn that the sound affecting you isn't harmful. Try a Competition: Use lightheartedness and turn the annoying sound into a challenge involving the source. As an example, if someone is crunching loudly try mimicking the sound. By joining in, instead of feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an active participant. And the competition element should help distract your brain and make you slightly more tolerant. Craft a Story: A further strategy is to try to create a little story about the reason someone making the noise is doing it. So if someone was sniffing, it could be that they're not in good health or are troubled. This approach is changing the meaning of the sound. While the sound doesn't change, your interpretation of it changes from being aggravating, to feeling a bit more accepting towards it.
Through experience, individuals discover methods to try to better manage their misophonia. A 23-year-old is looking forward to seeing her loved ones over the holidays, but says 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 time as the noises of people eating, drinking noisily and sniffling trigger profound anxiety. "There's this sensation of sudden panic, my entire being will just tense up and it feels like I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to manage these sounds." Lottie has experienced sound sensitivity for several years and for her that causes the Christmas time "deeply taxing". Misophonia is a decreased threshold to certain sounds, especially noises produced by other people. The condition is widespread in the UK. A study found almost one in five people experience it. Often it's noises connected to eating or drinking that trigger a reaction, along with things like chewing, breathing, and repetitive finger tapping. Triggering Stress Lottie says: "I face so many different triggering sounds at Christmas and that can be daunting and make you dread it. "Those close to me are understanding, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a constant struggle of enduring my distress to make sure the event goes smoothly." So it's easy to understand why the traditionally happy period can quickly turn into a stressful ordeal for affected individuals. Noises that may seem harmless, like someone sipping a beverage, opening presents, or eating the holiday meal can provoke a visceral feeling that can even result in them withdrawing from gatherings. Jenna is considering coping mechanisms to get her through Christmas lunch. The student, a 21-year-old student, who has struggled with sound sensitivity from childhood, states her strategy is to put her earphones in to manage the meal. Usually, she would frequently go in a quiet area to avoid distressing triggers. She explains her sensitivity is worse around people she's most familiar with, so Christmas is always "hard". "There's an expectation to spend time with family, and I desire to, but it's exhausting on all levels. "It's like this intense irritation takes hold, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel anxious and immediately start crying and then the stress response will kick in. "To others it appears as if I'm being difficult and overreacting, but it's tough to describe if you haven't felt it." A Few Techniques to Cope If you suffer then there are a few methods you can try to cope the situation, according to experts. Visualise a Different Scenario: Mental imagery is crucial. Try to associate the particular sound causing distress with an unrelated image. As an illustration, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. This technique is to help your brain learn that the sound affecting you isn't harmful. Try a Competition: Use lightheartedness and turn the annoying sound into a challenge involving the source. As an example, if someone is crunching loudly try mimicking the sound. By joining in, instead of feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an active participant. And the competition element should help distract your brain and make you slightly more tolerant. Craft a Story: A further strategy is to try to create a little story about the reason someone making the noise is doing it. So if someone was sniffing, it could be that they're not in good health or are troubled. This approach is changing the meaning of the sound. While the sound doesn't change, your interpretation of it changes from being aggravating, to feeling a bit more accepting towards it.