🔗 Share this article Yuletide Can Be a Living Hell for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity. Over the years, people have found methods to try to better manage their misophonia. A 23-year-old is looking forward to spending time with her loved ones this Christmas, but says a primary method she'll cope is by relying on her hearing protection - particularly at Christmas dinner. In her case, Christmas can be a particularly difficult period as the noises of family members munching, sipping loudly and sniffling trigger profound anxiety. "I experience this sensation of instant dread, my entire being will just freeze and it feels like I'm in peril, and I need to stop these triggers." She has suffered from sound sensitivity for several years and for her that renders the holiday period "incredibly overwhelming". Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to particular auditory triggers, particularly those made by those around you. It's surprisingly common in the UK. Researchers found almost one in five people are affected by it. Typically it's noises linked to eating or drinking that lead to discomfort, including things like chewing, breathing, and pen clicking. A Source of Dread She explains: "There are so many various auditory triggers at Christmas and that can be anxiety inducing and make you want to avoid it. "My relatives are understanding, but I'm very aware that I don't want to upset others. It's like a internal conflict of sacrificing my own sanity to ensure others enjoy themselves." So it's clear why the supposedly joyous time of the year can quickly turn into a source of agony for affected individuals. Triggers that may appear innocuous, like someone sipping a beverage, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can trigger a powerful reaction that can even result in them avoiding social settings altogether. Jenna is considering coping mechanisms to help her during Christmas lunch. Jenna, a young adult, who has dealt with sound sensitivity from childhood, states her strategy is to listen to music to manage the meal. Typically, she would often retreat in a separate space to avoid distressing triggers. She says her misophonia is more intense around people she's closest to, so Christmas is always "hard". "People assume you to socialize with loved ones, and I desire to, but it's exhausting on all levels. "The sensation is this uncontrollable anger washes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel panicked and immediately start crying and then fight-or-flight will take over. "It can come across as if I'm being oversensitive and overreacting, but it's difficult to convey if you haven't felt it." Three Ways to Manage If it's an issue then there are a few methods you can attempt to manage the situation, based on advice from clinical psychologists. Imagine an Alternative: Imagination is essential. Work on connecting the triggering sound causing distress with a neutral concept. So for example, try to envision someone's noisy drinking is just a sink draining water. The goal is to retrain your mind that the sound affecting you isn't harmful. Try a Competition: Use lightheartedness and make the irritating noise into a challenge involving the source. For example, if someone is eating noisily attempt copying the noise. Through participation, rather than feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an willing part. And the game aspect should help distract your brain and make you somewhat less sensitive. Craft a Story: Another technique is to try to fabricate an explanation about why the person creating the sound is behaving that way. So if someone was making a nasal sound, it could be that they're not in good health or could be emotional. This approach is changing the meaning of the sound. Even though the noise stays the same, your interpretation of it moves from being aggravating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate towards it.
Over the years, people have found methods to try to better manage their misophonia. A 23-year-old is looking forward to spending time with her loved ones this Christmas, but says a primary method she'll cope is by relying on her hearing protection - particularly at Christmas dinner. In her case, Christmas can be a particularly difficult period as the noises of family members munching, sipping loudly and sniffling trigger profound anxiety. "I experience this sensation of instant dread, my entire being will just freeze and it feels like I'm in peril, and I need to stop these triggers." She has suffered from sound sensitivity for several years and for her that renders the holiday period "incredibly overwhelming". Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to particular auditory triggers, particularly those made by those around you. It's surprisingly common in the UK. Researchers found almost one in five people are affected by it. Typically it's noises linked to eating or drinking that lead to discomfort, including things like chewing, breathing, and pen clicking. A Source of Dread She explains: "There are so many various auditory triggers at Christmas and that can be anxiety inducing and make you want to avoid it. "My relatives are understanding, but I'm very aware that I don't want to upset others. It's like a internal conflict of sacrificing my own sanity to ensure others enjoy themselves." So it's clear why the supposedly joyous time of the year can quickly turn into a source of agony for affected individuals. Triggers that may appear innocuous, like someone sipping a beverage, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can trigger a powerful reaction that can even result in them avoiding social settings altogether. Jenna is considering coping mechanisms to help her during Christmas lunch. Jenna, a young adult, who has dealt with sound sensitivity from childhood, states her strategy is to listen to music to manage the meal. Typically, she would often retreat in a separate space to avoid distressing triggers. She says her misophonia is more intense around people she's closest to, so Christmas is always "hard". "People assume you to socialize with loved ones, and I desire to, but it's exhausting on all levels. "The sensation is this uncontrollable anger washes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel panicked and immediately start crying and then fight-or-flight will take over. "It can come across as if I'm being oversensitive and overreacting, but it's difficult to convey if you haven't felt it." Three Ways to Manage If it's an issue then there are a few methods you can attempt to manage the situation, based on advice from clinical psychologists. Imagine an Alternative: Imagination is essential. Work on connecting the triggering sound causing distress with a neutral concept. So for example, try to envision someone's noisy drinking is just a sink draining water. The goal is to retrain your mind that the sound affecting you isn't harmful. Try a Competition: Use lightheartedness and make the irritating noise into a challenge involving the source. For example, if someone is eating noisily attempt copying the noise. Through participation, rather than feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an willing part. And the game aspect should help distract your brain and make you somewhat less sensitive. Craft a Story: Another technique is to try to fabricate an explanation about why the person creating the sound is behaving that way. So if someone was making a nasal sound, it could be that they're not in good health or could be emotional. This approach is changing the meaning of the sound. Even though the noise stays the same, your interpretation of it moves from being aggravating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate towards it.