🔗 Share this article The Holiday Season Often Proves to Be a Living Hell for Misophonia Sufferers. With time, people discover methods to cope with their misophonia. Lottie hopes for seeing her relatives during the festive period, but notes a key strategy she'll manage to get through it is by using her hearing protection - notably for the main festive feast. For her, this time of year can be a especially challenging season as the noises of family members munching, slurping and sniffling trigger profound anxiety. "I get this sensation of immediate anxiety, my whole body will just tighten and it seems as if I'm in peril, and I need to stop these noises." She has experienced misophonia for several years and for her that renders the holiday period "incredibly overwhelming". Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to certain sounds, particularly those produced by individuals. The condition is widespread across the population. Researchers found nearly 20% people experience it. Typically it's noises associated with mouth, throat or facial movements that cause distress, along with things like crunching, breathing, and repetitive finger tapping. 'Anxiety Inducing' She explains: "You encounter so many various auditory triggers at the holidays and that can be anxiety inducing and make you fear it. "Those close to me are aware, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a really big battle of sacrificing my own sanity to make sure the event goes smoothly." So it's clear why the traditionally happy time of the year can transform into a stressful ordeal for sufferers. Sounds that may be considered normal, like someone drinking champagne, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or eating the holiday meal can cause a strong emotional response that can even cause them withdrawing from gatherings. A 21-year-old student is planning ways to get her through Christmas lunch. Jenna, a young adult, who has struggled with misophonia from childhood, explains currently her plan is to listen to music to cope. Usually, she would usually isolate herself in a separate space to escape problematic noises. She says her condition is worse around people she's closest to, so the holidays is always "challenging". "There's an expectation to be around family, and I want to, but it's exhausting on all levels. "The sensation is this intense irritation takes hold, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel panicked and burst into tears and then fight-or-flight will kick in. "It can come across as if I'm being difficult and melodramatic, but it's hard to explain if you haven't felt it." A Few Techniques to Cope If you suffer then there are various strategies you can try to cope the situation, as suggested by clinical psychologists. Visualise a Different Scenario: Mental imagery is crucial. Try to associate the triggering sound causing distress with an unrelated image. So for example, try to envision someone's slurping is just a sink draining water. The goal is to teach your brain that the sound affecting you poses no threat. Use Humor: Have a bit of fun and make the irritating noise into a challenge with the culprit. For example, if someone is eating noisily try copying the noise. Through participation, rather than feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an active participant. And the competition element should help redirect your focus and make you slightly more tolerant. Create a Scenario: A further strategy is to try to invent a reason about why the person making the noise is doing it. For example 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 doesn't change, your interpretation of it shifts from being annoying, to feeling a slightly more compassionate about it.
With time, people discover methods to cope with their misophonia. Lottie hopes for seeing her relatives during the festive period, but notes a key strategy she'll manage to get through it is by using her hearing protection - notably for the main festive feast. For her, this time of year can be a especially challenging season as the noises of family members munching, slurping and sniffling trigger profound anxiety. "I get this sensation of immediate anxiety, my whole body will just tighten and it seems as if I'm in peril, and I need to stop these noises." She has experienced misophonia for several years and for her that renders the holiday period "incredibly overwhelming". Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to certain sounds, particularly those produced by individuals. The condition is widespread across the population. Researchers found nearly 20% people experience it. Typically it's noises associated with mouth, throat or facial movements that cause distress, along with things like crunching, breathing, and repetitive finger tapping. 'Anxiety Inducing' She explains: "You encounter so many various auditory triggers at the holidays and that can be anxiety inducing and make you fear it. "Those close to me are aware, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a really big battle of sacrificing my own sanity to make sure the event goes smoothly." So it's clear why the traditionally happy time of the year can transform into a stressful ordeal for sufferers. Sounds that may be considered normal, like someone drinking champagne, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or eating the holiday meal can cause a strong emotional response that can even cause them withdrawing from gatherings. A 21-year-old student is planning ways to get her through Christmas lunch. Jenna, a young adult, who has struggled with misophonia from childhood, explains currently her plan is to listen to music to cope. Usually, she would usually isolate herself in a separate space to escape problematic noises. She says her condition is worse around people she's closest to, so the holidays is always "challenging". "There's an expectation to be around family, and I want to, but it's exhausting on all levels. "The sensation is this intense irritation takes hold, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel panicked and burst into tears and then fight-or-flight will kick in. "It can come across as if I'm being difficult and melodramatic, but it's hard to explain if you haven't felt it." A Few Techniques to Cope If you suffer then there are various strategies you can try to cope the situation, as suggested by clinical psychologists. Visualise a Different Scenario: Mental imagery is crucial. Try to associate the triggering sound causing distress with an unrelated image. So for example, try to envision someone's slurping is just a sink draining water. The goal is to teach your brain that the sound affecting you poses no threat. Use Humor: Have a bit of fun and make the irritating noise into a challenge with the culprit. For example, if someone is eating noisily try copying the noise. Through participation, rather than feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an active participant. And the competition element should help redirect your focus and make you slightly more tolerant. Create a Scenario: A further strategy is to try to invent a reason about why the person making the noise is doing it. For example 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 doesn't change, your interpretation of it shifts from being annoying, to feeling a slightly more compassionate about it.