🔗 Share this article Christmas Can Be a Living Hell for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity. With time, sufferers discover methods to try to better manage their misophonia. Lottie anticipates seeing her relatives during the festive period, but admits one of the only ways she'll endure is by using her noise-cancelling devices - notably for the main festive feast. In her case, the holidays often feels like a especially challenging time as the sounds of family members munching, sipping loudly and nose-blowing make her feel extremely uncomfortable. "I get this feeling of immediate anxiety, my entire being will just tense up and it seems as if I'm in danger, and I need to somehow control these triggers." The individual has experienced this condition for several years and for her that causes the Christmas time "deeply taxing". Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to certain sounds, notably sounds coming from those around you. It's surprisingly common across the population. A study discovered a significant portion of people experience it. Frequently it's sounds linked to eating or drinking that trigger a reaction, along with examples such as chewing, breathing, and pen clicking. Triggering Stress Lottie says: "There are so many assorted problematic noises at the holidays and that can be daunting and make you dread it. "My family are aware, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to upset others. It's like a internal conflict of managing my symptoms to guarantee others enjoy themselves." So it's easy to understand why the supposedly joyous time of the year can rapidly become a living nightmare for affected individuals. Noises that may be considered normal, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or enjoying festive food can trigger a powerful reaction that can even result in them skipping events entirely. A 21-year-old student is planning strategies to help her during Christmas lunch. She, a university student, who has dealt with sound sensitivity for over a decade, states currently her plan is to put her earphones in to get through dinner. Typically, she would usually isolate herself in a quiet area to minimize problematic noises. She notes her condition is worse around people she's most comfortable with, so the holidays is always "difficult". "There is pressure to socialize with family, and I wish to, but it's exhausting on all levels. "I feel as if this sudden rage takes hold, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel stressed and burst into tears and then the stress response will activate. "It may seem as if I'm being oversensitive and overreacting, but it's hard to explain if you haven't felt it." A Few Techniques to Manage If you suffer then there are a few methods you can try to cope the situation, according to specialists. Picture an Alternative: Imagination is key. Work on connecting the specific noise causing distress with something completely different. So for example, try to picture someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. By doing this is to retrain your mind that the sound affecting you poses no threat. Try a Competition: Have a bit of fun and make the irritating noise into a challenge involving the source. As an example, if someone is eating noisily attempt mimicking the sound. By joining in, rather than feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an engaged person. And the challenge should help redirect your focus and make you somewhat less sensitive. Develop a Narrative: A further strategy is to try to invent a reason about why the person making the noise is having to make that sound. Imagine if someone was making a nasal sound, it could be that they're not at their best or maybe they're upset. This approach is re-framing the context of the sound. While the noise stays the same, your interpretation of it moves from being annoying, to feeling a little more neutral towards it.
With time, sufferers discover methods to try to better manage their misophonia. Lottie anticipates seeing her relatives during the festive period, but admits one of the only ways she'll endure is by using her noise-cancelling devices - notably for the main festive feast. In her case, the holidays often feels like a especially challenging time as the sounds of family members munching, sipping loudly and nose-blowing make her feel extremely uncomfortable. "I get this feeling of immediate anxiety, my entire being will just tense up and it seems as if I'm in danger, and I need to somehow control these triggers." The individual has experienced this condition for several years and for her that causes the Christmas time "deeply taxing". Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to certain sounds, notably sounds coming from those around you. It's surprisingly common across the population. A study discovered a significant portion of people experience it. Frequently it's sounds linked to eating or drinking that trigger a reaction, along with examples such as chewing, breathing, and pen clicking. Triggering Stress Lottie says: "There are so many assorted problematic noises at the holidays and that can be daunting and make you dread it. "My family are aware, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to upset others. It's like a internal conflict of managing my symptoms to guarantee others enjoy themselves." So it's easy to understand why the supposedly joyous time of the year can rapidly become a living nightmare for affected individuals. Noises that may be considered normal, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or enjoying festive food can trigger a powerful reaction that can even result in them skipping events entirely. A 21-year-old student is planning strategies to help her during Christmas lunch. She, a university student, who has dealt with sound sensitivity for over a decade, states currently her plan is to put her earphones in to get through dinner. Typically, she would usually isolate herself in a quiet area to minimize problematic noises. She notes her condition is worse around people she's most comfortable with, so the holidays is always "difficult". "There is pressure to socialize with family, and I wish to, but it's exhausting on all levels. "I feel as if this sudden rage takes hold, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel stressed and burst into tears and then the stress response will activate. "It may seem as if I'm being oversensitive and overreacting, but it's hard to explain if you haven't felt it." A Few Techniques to Manage If you suffer then there are a few methods you can try to cope the situation, according to specialists. Picture an Alternative: Imagination is key. Work on connecting the specific noise causing distress with something completely different. So for example, try to picture someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. By doing this is to retrain your mind that the sound affecting you poses no threat. Try a Competition: Have a bit of fun and make the irritating noise into a challenge involving the source. As an example, if someone is eating noisily attempt mimicking the sound. By joining in, rather than feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an engaged person. And the challenge should help redirect your focus and make you somewhat less sensitive. Develop a Narrative: A further strategy is to try to invent a reason about why the person making the noise is having to make that sound. Imagine if someone was making a nasal sound, it could be that they're not at their best or maybe they're upset. This approach is re-framing the context of the sound. While the noise stays the same, your interpretation of it moves from being annoying, to feeling a little more neutral towards it.