🔗 Share this article The Holiday Season Often Proves to Be a Nightmare for Those with Misophonia. With time, individuals have found methods to try to better manage their condition. A 23-year-old anticipates spending time with her family over the holidays, but says a primary method she'll cope is by using her hearing protection - particularly at the holiday meal. In her case, this time of year can be a especially challenging season as the auditory triggers of other people chewing, sipping loudly and breathing heavily trigger profound anxiety. "I experience this wave of instant dread, my every muscle will just tense up and it as though I'm in peril, and I need to somehow control these sounds." Lottie has experienced misophonia 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 in the UK. A study found nearly 20% people suffer from it. Typically it's sounds connected to mouth, throat or facial movements that trigger a reaction, along with things like chewing, breathing, and foot tapping. A Source of Dread Lottie says: "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 understanding, but I'm very aware that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a constant struggle of sacrificing my own sanity to ensure the event goes smoothly." So it's obvious why the supposedly joyous season can transform into a living nightmare for sufferers. Triggers that may seem harmless, like someone drinking champagne, opening presents, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can cause a strong emotional response that can even cause them withdrawing from gatherings. Jenna is planning coping mechanisms to manage Christmas lunch. She, a university student, who has experienced sound sensitivity from childhood, says currently her plan is to put her earphones in to get through dinner. On any other day, she would frequently go in a separate space to minimize triggering sounds. She notes her misophonia is more pronounced around people she's closest to, so the holidays is always "hard". "There's an expectation to spend time with family, and I want to, but it's exhausting on all levels. "The sensation is this sudden rage takes hold, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel anxious and burst into tears and then the stress response will take over. "It can come across as if I'm being oversensitive and melodramatic, but it's difficult to convey if you haven't felt it." Three Ways to Cope If you suffer then there are various strategies you can try to cope the situation, according to clinical psychologists. Visualise a Different Scenario: Imagination is crucial. Work on connecting the triggering sound causing distress with a neutral concept. So for example, try to envision someone's slurping is just a waterfall. The goal is to retrain your mind that the sound affecting you poses no threat. Try a Competition: Use lightheartedness and make the irritating noise into a competition with the culprit. For instance, if someone is eating noisily attempt copying the noise. Through participation, instead of feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an willing part. And the competition element should help shift your attention and make you slightly more tolerant. Create a Scenario: Another technique is to try to create a little story about the reason someone making the noise is having to make that sound. So if someone was making a nasal sound, it could be that they're not at their best or could be emotional. This approach is re-framing the context of the sound. While the sound remains identical, your reaction of it changes from being irritating, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.
With time, individuals have found methods to try to better manage their condition. A 23-year-old anticipates spending time with her family over the holidays, but says a primary method she'll cope is by using her hearing protection - particularly at the holiday meal. In her case, this time of year can be a especially challenging season as the auditory triggers of other people chewing, sipping loudly and breathing heavily trigger profound anxiety. "I experience this wave of instant dread, my every muscle will just tense up and it as though I'm in peril, and I need to somehow control these sounds." Lottie has experienced misophonia 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 in the UK. A study found nearly 20% people suffer from it. Typically it's sounds connected to mouth, throat or facial movements that trigger a reaction, along with things like chewing, breathing, and foot tapping. A Source of Dread Lottie says: "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 understanding, but I'm very aware that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a constant struggle of sacrificing my own sanity to ensure the event goes smoothly." So it's obvious why the supposedly joyous season can transform into a living nightmare for sufferers. Triggers that may seem harmless, like someone drinking champagne, opening presents, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can cause a strong emotional response that can even cause them withdrawing from gatherings. Jenna is planning coping mechanisms to manage Christmas lunch. She, a university student, who has experienced sound sensitivity from childhood, says currently her plan is to put her earphones in to get through dinner. On any other day, she would frequently go in a separate space to minimize triggering sounds. She notes her misophonia is more pronounced around people she's closest to, so the holidays is always "hard". "There's an expectation to spend time with family, and I want to, but it's exhausting on all levels. "The sensation is this sudden rage takes hold, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel anxious and burst into tears and then the stress response will take over. "It can come across as if I'm being oversensitive and melodramatic, but it's difficult to convey if you haven't felt it." Three Ways to Cope If you suffer then there are various strategies you can try to cope the situation, according to clinical psychologists. Visualise a Different Scenario: Imagination is crucial. Work on connecting the triggering sound causing distress with a neutral concept. So for example, try to envision someone's slurping is just a waterfall. The goal is to retrain your mind that the sound affecting you poses no threat. Try a Competition: Use lightheartedness and make the irritating noise into a competition with the culprit. For instance, if someone is eating noisily attempt copying the noise. Through participation, instead of feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an willing part. And the competition element should help shift your attention and make you slightly more tolerant. Create a Scenario: Another technique is to try to create a little story about the reason someone making the noise is having to make that sound. So if someone was making a nasal sound, it could be that they're not at their best or could be emotional. This approach is re-framing the context of the sound. While the sound remains identical, your reaction of it changes from being irritating, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.