🔗 Share this article Yuletide Can Be a Nightmare for Those with Misophonia. Over the years, people develop ways to cope with their misophonia. Lottie is looking forward to seeing her loved ones this Christmas, but notes a key strategy she'll cope is by using her earplugs - especially during Christmas dinner. For the 23-year-old, the holidays can be a particularly difficult season as the sounds of family members munching, slurping and breathing heavily trigger profound anxiety. "There's this feeling of instant dread, my entire being will just freeze and it feels like I'm in danger, and I need to stop these sounds." Lottie has experienced sound sensitivity from a young age and for her that causes the Christmas time "deeply taxing". Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to certain sounds, particularly those produced by individuals. It is prevalent in the UK. Experts reported almost one in five people experience it. Often it's sounds associated with eating or drinking that cause distress, along with things like chewing, heavy breathing, and repetitive finger tapping. 'Anxiety Inducing' She explains: "I face so many different triggering sounds at the holidays and that can be daunting and make you fear it. "My relatives are understanding, but I'm very aware that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a constant struggle of enduring my distress to guarantee others enjoy themselves." So it's easy to understand why the supposedly joyous time of the year can rapidly become a stressful ordeal for affected individuals. Sounds that may seem harmless, like someone drinking champagne, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or enjoying festive food can cause a visceral feeling that can even lead to them avoiding social settings altogether. Another individual is planning strategies to manage Christmas lunch. Jenna, a university student, who has experienced sound sensitivity from childhood, states the approach she intends to use is to use headphones to get through dinner. On any other day, she would often retreat in a different room to minimize problematic noises. She says her misophonia is worse around people she's most familiar with, so Christmas is always "difficult". "There is pressure to socialize with loved ones, and I wish to, but it's physically and mentally challenging. "I feel as if this sudden rage washes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel anxious and burst into tears and then fight-or-flight will take over. "To others it appears as if I'm being unreasonable and dramatic, but it's hard to explain unless you've experienced it." A Few Techniques to Manage If you suffer then there are some different techniques you can use to handle the situation, as suggested by experts. Picture an Alternative: Mental imagery is crucial. Try to associate the particular sound causing distress with something completely different. For instance, try to picture someone's slurping is just a sink draining water. This technique is to teach your brain that the sound affecting you poses no threat. Use Humor: Use lightheartedness and turn the annoying sound into a competition involving the source. For example, if someone is crunching loudly have a go at copying the noise. By mimicking, rather than feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an active participant. And the challenge should help redirect your focus and make you a little less affected. Craft a Story: Another technique is to try to invent a reason about why the person making the noise is behaving that way. So if someone was making a nasal sound, maybe they are not at their best or could be emotional. This approach is re-framing the context of the sound. While the noise stays the same, your understanding of it shifts from being aggravating, to feeling a little more neutral about it.
Over the years, people develop ways to cope with their misophonia. Lottie is looking forward to seeing her loved ones this Christmas, but notes a key strategy she'll cope is by using her earplugs - especially during Christmas dinner. For the 23-year-old, the holidays can be a particularly difficult season as the sounds of family members munching, slurping and breathing heavily trigger profound anxiety. "There's this feeling of instant dread, my entire being will just freeze and it feels like I'm in danger, and I need to stop these sounds." Lottie has experienced sound sensitivity from a young age and for her that causes the Christmas time "deeply taxing". Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to certain sounds, particularly those produced by individuals. It is prevalent in the UK. Experts reported almost one in five people experience it. Often it's sounds associated with eating or drinking that cause distress, along with things like chewing, heavy breathing, and repetitive finger tapping. 'Anxiety Inducing' She explains: "I face so many different triggering sounds at the holidays and that can be daunting and make you fear it. "My relatives are understanding, but I'm very aware that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a constant struggle of enduring my distress to guarantee others enjoy themselves." So it's easy to understand why the supposedly joyous time of the year can rapidly become a stressful ordeal for affected individuals. Sounds that may seem harmless, like someone drinking champagne, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or enjoying festive food can cause a visceral feeling that can even lead to them avoiding social settings altogether. Another individual is planning strategies to manage Christmas lunch. Jenna, a university student, who has experienced sound sensitivity from childhood, states the approach she intends to use is to use headphones to get through dinner. On any other day, she would often retreat in a different room to minimize problematic noises. She says her misophonia is worse around people she's most familiar with, so Christmas is always "difficult". "There is pressure to socialize with loved ones, and I wish to, but it's physically and mentally challenging. "I feel as if this sudden rage washes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel anxious and burst into tears and then fight-or-flight will take over. "To others it appears as if I'm being unreasonable and dramatic, but it's hard to explain unless you've experienced it." A Few Techniques to Manage If you suffer then there are some different techniques you can use to handle the situation, as suggested by experts. Picture an Alternative: Mental imagery is crucial. Try to associate the particular sound causing distress with something completely different. For instance, try to picture someone's slurping is just a sink draining water. This technique is to teach your brain that the sound affecting you poses no threat. Use Humor: Use lightheartedness and turn the annoying sound into a competition involving the source. For example, if someone is crunching loudly have a go at copying the noise. By mimicking, rather than feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an active participant. And the challenge should help redirect your focus and make you a little less affected. Craft a Story: Another technique is to try to invent a reason about why the person making the noise is behaving that way. So if someone was making a nasal sound, maybe they are not at their best or could be emotional. This approach is re-framing the context of the sound. While the noise stays the same, your understanding of it shifts from being aggravating, to feeling a little more neutral about it.