🔗 Share this article The Holiday Season Can Be a Nightmare for Those with Misophonia. Through experience, individuals have found ways to try to better manage their sound sensitivity. A 23-year-old is looking forward to seeing her relatives during the festive period, but says a key strategy she'll cope is by relying on her noise-cancelling devices - especially during the main festive feast. For her, this time of year is a particularly difficult period as the sounds of people eating, slurping and nose-blowing make her feel intense distress. "I experience this wave of sudden panic, my entire being will just tighten and it seems as if I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to stop these noises." She has lived with this condition for several years and for her that causes the holiday period "exceptionally stressful". Misophonia is a decreased threshold to particular auditory triggers, especially noises made by those around you. It's surprisingly common across the population. Researchers discovered a significant portion of people are affected by it. Typically it's sounds connected to mouth, throat or facial movements that trigger a reaction, as well as examples such as chewing, breathing, and pen clicking. Triggering Stress The sufferer notes: "I face so many various auditory triggers at the holidays and that can be daunting and make you want to avoid it. "My family are understanding, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a really big battle of sacrificing my own sanity to make sure others enjoy themselves." So it's easy to understand why the traditionally happy time of the year can quickly turn into a source of agony for those with the condition. Noises that may appear innocuous, like someone drinking champagne, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or eating the holiday meal can provoke a powerful reaction that can even lead to them withdrawing from gatherings. Another individual is planning ways to help her during the holiday dinner. She, a 21-year-old student, who has dealt with sound sensitivity for over a decade, states currently her plan is to put her earphones in to cope. Usually, she would often retreat in a different room to escape triggering sounds. She says her condition is more intense around people she's most familiar with, so Christmas is always "hard". "People assume you to spend time with family, and I wish to, but it's draining. "I feel as if this uncontrollable anger comes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel panicked and begin to weep and then the stress response will take over. "It can come across as if I'm being difficult and melodramatic, but it's tough to describe without firsthand experience." Several Strategies to Manage If it's an issue then there are various strategies you can attempt to manage the situation, as suggested by clinical psychologists. Imagine Something Else: Creative thinking is essential. Try to associate the specific noise bothering you with an unrelated image. So for example, try to envision someone's noisy drinking is just a waterfall. By doing this is to teach your brain that the sound triggering you poses no threat. Use Humor: Use lightheartedness and make the irritating noise into a game with the culprit. As an example, if someone is eating noisily try mimicking the sound. By joining in, rather than feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an active participant. And the competition element should help shift your attention and make you a little less affected. Develop a Narrative: A further strategy is to try to fabricate an explanation about why the person making the noise is doing it. So if someone was making a nasal sound, perhaps they're not in good health or are troubled. By doing this is changing the meaning of the sound. While the noise stays the same, your interpretation of it changes from being aggravating, to feeling a little more neutral about it.
Through experience, individuals have found ways to try to better manage their sound sensitivity. A 23-year-old is looking forward to seeing her relatives during the festive period, but says a key strategy she'll cope is by relying on her noise-cancelling devices - especially during the main festive feast. For her, this time of year is a particularly difficult period as the sounds of people eating, slurping and nose-blowing make her feel intense distress. "I experience this wave of sudden panic, my entire being will just tighten and it seems as if I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to stop these noises." She has lived with this condition for several years and for her that causes the holiday period "exceptionally stressful". Misophonia is a decreased threshold to particular auditory triggers, especially noises made by those around you. It's surprisingly common across the population. Researchers discovered a significant portion of people are affected by it. Typically it's sounds connected to mouth, throat or facial movements that trigger a reaction, as well as examples such as chewing, breathing, and pen clicking. Triggering Stress The sufferer notes: "I face so many various auditory triggers at the holidays and that can be daunting and make you want to avoid it. "My family are understanding, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a really big battle of sacrificing my own sanity to make sure others enjoy themselves." So it's easy to understand why the traditionally happy time of the year can quickly turn into a source of agony for those with the condition. Noises that may appear innocuous, like someone drinking champagne, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or eating the holiday meal can provoke a powerful reaction that can even lead to them withdrawing from gatherings. Another individual is planning ways to help her during the holiday dinner. She, a 21-year-old student, who has dealt with sound sensitivity for over a decade, states currently her plan is to put her earphones in to cope. Usually, she would often retreat in a different room to escape triggering sounds. She says her condition is more intense around people she's most familiar with, so Christmas is always "hard". "People assume you to spend time with family, and I wish to, but it's draining. "I feel as if this uncontrollable anger comes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel panicked and begin to weep and then the stress response will take over. "It can come across as if I'm being difficult and melodramatic, but it's tough to describe without firsthand experience." Several Strategies to Manage If it's an issue then there are various strategies you can attempt to manage the situation, as suggested by clinical psychologists. Imagine Something Else: Creative thinking is essential. Try to associate the specific noise bothering you with an unrelated image. So for example, try to envision someone's noisy drinking is just a waterfall. By doing this is to teach your brain that the sound triggering you poses no threat. Use Humor: Use lightheartedness and make the irritating noise into a game with the culprit. As an example, if someone is eating noisily try mimicking the sound. By joining in, rather than feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an active participant. And the competition element should help shift your attention and make you a little less affected. Develop a Narrative: A further strategy is to try to fabricate an explanation about why the person making the noise is doing it. So if someone was making a nasal sound, perhaps they're not in good health or are troubled. By doing this is changing the meaning of the sound. While the noise stays the same, your interpretation of it changes from being aggravating, to feeling a little more neutral about it.