🔗 Share this article Yuletide Often Proves to Be a Living Hell for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity. With time, people have found strategies to cope with their misophonia. Lottie anticipates spending time with her family during the festive period, but notes a primary method she'll cope is by relying on her earplugs - especially during the holiday meal. In her case, the holidays can be a particularly difficult period as the noises of family members munching, sipping loudly and breathing heavily make her feel profound anxiety. "There's this sensation of immediate anxiety, my whole body will just tighten and it as though I'm in peril, and I need to somehow control these noises." The individual has lived with this condition for several years and for her that renders the festive season "exceptionally stressful". Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to specific noises, notably sounds made by other people. It is prevalent in the UK. Researchers found nearly 20% people are affected by it. Frequently it's sounds associated with mouth, throat or facial movements that trigger a reaction, along with things like chewing, breathing, and repetitive finger tapping. A Source of Dread Lottie says: "There are so many different triggering sounds at the holidays and that can be daunting and make you fear it. "Those close to me are aware, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to upset others. It's like a constant struggle of enduring my distress to ensure everyone else is happy." So it's clear why the supposedly joyous period can transform into a stressful ordeal for affected individuals. Noises that may appear innocuous, like someone drinking champagne, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or enjoying festive food can trigger a visceral feeling that can even lead to them withdrawing from gatherings. Jenna is considering coping mechanisms to get her through Christmas lunch. She, a 21-year-old student, who has struggled with misophonia since aged 10, says the approach she intends to use is to listen to music to get through dinner. On any other day, she would frequently go in a separate space to minimize problematic noises. She explains her sensitivity is more intense around people she's most familiar with, so the holidays is always "challenging". "People assume you to be around loved ones, and I desire to, but it's exhausting on all levels. "The sensation is this intense irritation comes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel anxious and begin to weep and then fight-or-flight will take over. "It can come across as if I'm being difficult and overreacting, but it's difficult to convey unless you've experienced it." Several Strategies to Cope If it's an issue then there are a few methods you can try to cope the situation, as suggested by clinical psychologists. Imagine Something Else: Imagination is crucial. Try to associate the triggering sound affecting you with an unrelated image. As an illustration, try to envision someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. By doing this is to help your brain learn that the sound affecting you isn't harmful. Use Humor: Use lightheartedness and make the irritating noise into a competition involving the source. As an example, if someone is crunching loudly attempt joining in. By mimicking, instead of feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an engaged person. And the challenge should help distract your brain and make you slightly more tolerant. Create a Scenario: A further strategy is to try to create a little story about why the person creating the sound is having to make that sound. For example if someone was making a nasal sound, it could be that they're not in good health or could be emotional. By doing this is changing the meaning of the sound. Although the sound doesn't change, your reaction of it moves from being irritating, to feeling a little more neutral about it.
With time, people have found strategies to cope with their misophonia. Lottie anticipates spending time with her family during the festive period, but notes a primary method she'll cope is by relying on her earplugs - especially during the holiday meal. In her case, the holidays can be a particularly difficult period as the noises of family members munching, sipping loudly and breathing heavily make her feel profound anxiety. "There's this sensation of immediate anxiety, my whole body will just tighten and it as though I'm in peril, and I need to somehow control these noises." The individual has lived with this condition for several years and for her that renders the festive season "exceptionally stressful". Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to specific noises, notably sounds made by other people. It is prevalent in the UK. Researchers found nearly 20% people are affected by it. Frequently it's sounds associated with mouth, throat or facial movements that trigger a reaction, along with things like chewing, breathing, and repetitive finger tapping. A Source of Dread Lottie says: "There are so many different triggering sounds at the holidays and that can be daunting and make you fear it. "Those close to me are aware, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to upset others. It's like a constant struggle of enduring my distress to ensure everyone else is happy." So it's clear why the supposedly joyous period can transform into a stressful ordeal for affected individuals. Noises that may appear innocuous, like someone drinking champagne, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or enjoying festive food can trigger a visceral feeling that can even lead to them withdrawing from gatherings. Jenna is considering coping mechanisms to get her through Christmas lunch. She, a 21-year-old student, who has struggled with misophonia since aged 10, says the approach she intends to use is to listen to music to get through dinner. On any other day, she would frequently go in a separate space to minimize problematic noises. She explains her sensitivity is more intense around people she's most familiar with, so the holidays is always "challenging". "People assume you to be around loved ones, and I desire to, but it's exhausting on all levels. "The sensation is this intense irritation comes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel anxious and begin to weep and then fight-or-flight will take over. "It can come across as if I'm being difficult and overreacting, but it's difficult to convey unless you've experienced it." Several Strategies to Cope If it's an issue then there are a few methods you can try to cope the situation, as suggested by clinical psychologists. Imagine Something Else: Imagination is crucial. Try to associate the triggering sound affecting you with an unrelated image. As an illustration, try to envision someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. By doing this is to help your brain learn that the sound affecting you isn't harmful. Use Humor: Use lightheartedness and make the irritating noise into a competition involving the source. As an example, if someone is crunching loudly attempt joining in. By mimicking, instead of feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an engaged person. And the challenge should help distract your brain and make you slightly more tolerant. Create a Scenario: A further strategy is to try to create a little story about why the person creating the sound is having to make that sound. For example if someone was making a nasal sound, it could be that they're not in good health or could be emotional. By doing this is changing the meaning of the sound. Although the sound doesn't change, your reaction of it moves from being irritating, to feeling a little more neutral about it.