🔗 Share this article The Holiday Season Transforms Into a Terrifying Experience for Those with Misophonia. Over the years, sufferers develop methods to cope with their misophonia. One young woman anticipates spending time with her relatives this Christmas, but says one of the only ways she'll manage to get through it is by relying on her hearing protection - especially during the holiday meal. In her case, the holidays often feels like a notably tough season as the auditory triggers of other people chewing, drinking noisily and breathing heavily cause her extremely uncomfortable. "There's this feeling 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 triggers." The individual has suffered from this condition since she was 16 and for her that causes the holiday period "deeply taxing". Misophonia is a decreased threshold to particular auditory triggers, notably sounds coming from those around you. It is prevalent amongst adults. A study reported nearly 20% people suffer from it. Frequently it's noises connected to mouth, throat or facial movements that trigger a reaction, along with things like crunching, breathing, and foot tapping. 'Anxiety Inducing' She explains: "You encounter so many different triggering sounds at the holidays and that can be stressful and make you dread it. "Those close to me are supportive, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to upset others. It's like a constant struggle of sacrificing my own sanity to make sure everyone else is happy." So it's easy to understand why the supposedly joyous time of the year can rapidly become a source of agony for sufferers. Triggers that may seem harmless, like someone sipping a beverage, unwrapping gifts, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can cause a powerful reaction that can even result in them avoiding social settings altogether. Jenna is already thinking about coping mechanisms to manage Christmas lunch. Jenna, a university student, who has dealt with misophonia for over a decade, says currently her plan is to use headphones to get through dinner. Typically, she would often retreat in a quiet area to minimize problematic noises. She says her sensitivity is more intense around people she's most comfortable with, so Christmas is always "hard". "People assume you to be around family, and I desire to, but it's exhausting on all levels. "It's like this uncontrollable anger takes hold, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel panicked and immediately start crying and then panic will activate. "It can come across as if I'm being unreasonable and overreacting, but it's difficult to convey unless you've experienced it." Several Strategies to Handle It For those affected then there are various strategies you can use to handle the situation, according to experts. Visualise an Alternative: Creative thinking is crucial. Work on connecting the specific noise causing distress with something completely different. As an illustration, try to envision someone's noisy drinking is just a waterfall. The goal is to retrain your mind that the sound affecting you isn't harmful. Use Humor: Have a bit of fun and make the irritating noise into a game with the culprit. As an example, if someone is eating noisily attempt copying the noise. By mimicking, instead of feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an willing part. And the challenge should help distract your brain and make you somewhat less sensitive. Create a Scenario: Another technique is to try to create a little story about why the person making the noise is having to make that sound. Imagine if someone was making a nasal sound, perhaps they're not in good health or are troubled. This approach is altering the perception of the sound. While the noise doesn't change, your understanding of it moves from being irritating, to feeling a bit more accepting towards it.
Over the years, sufferers develop methods to cope with their misophonia. One young woman anticipates spending time with her relatives this Christmas, but says one of the only ways she'll manage to get through it is by relying on her hearing protection - especially during the holiday meal. In her case, the holidays often feels like a notably tough season as the auditory triggers of other people chewing, drinking noisily and breathing heavily cause her extremely uncomfortable. "There's this feeling 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 triggers." The individual has suffered from this condition since she was 16 and for her that causes the holiday period "deeply taxing". Misophonia is a decreased threshold to particular auditory triggers, notably sounds coming from those around you. It is prevalent amongst adults. A study reported nearly 20% people suffer from it. Frequently it's noises connected to mouth, throat or facial movements that trigger a reaction, along with things like crunching, breathing, and foot tapping. 'Anxiety Inducing' She explains: "You encounter so many different triggering sounds at the holidays and that can be stressful and make you dread it. "Those close to me are supportive, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to upset others. It's like a constant struggle of sacrificing my own sanity to make sure everyone else is happy." So it's easy to understand why the supposedly joyous time of the year can rapidly become a source of agony for sufferers. Triggers that may seem harmless, like someone sipping a beverage, unwrapping gifts, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can cause a powerful reaction that can even result in them avoiding social settings altogether. Jenna is already thinking about coping mechanisms to manage Christmas lunch. Jenna, a university student, who has dealt with misophonia for over a decade, says currently her plan is to use headphones to get through dinner. Typically, she would often retreat in a quiet area to minimize problematic noises. She says her sensitivity is more intense around people she's most comfortable with, so Christmas is always "hard". "People assume you to be around family, and I desire to, but it's exhausting on all levels. "It's like this uncontrollable anger takes hold, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel panicked and immediately start crying and then panic will activate. "It can come across as if I'm being unreasonable and overreacting, but it's difficult to convey unless you've experienced it." Several Strategies to Handle It For those affected then there are various strategies you can use to handle the situation, according to experts. Visualise an Alternative: Creative thinking is crucial. Work on connecting the specific noise causing distress with something completely different. As an illustration, try to envision someone's noisy drinking is just a waterfall. The goal is to retrain your mind that the sound affecting you isn't harmful. Use Humor: Have a bit of fun and make the irritating noise into a game with the culprit. As an example, if someone is eating noisily attempt copying the noise. By mimicking, instead of feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an willing part. And the challenge should help distract your brain and make you somewhat less sensitive. Create a Scenario: Another technique is to try to create a little story about why the person making the noise is having to make that sound. Imagine if someone was making a nasal sound, perhaps they're not in good health or are troubled. This approach is altering the perception of the sound. While the noise doesn't change, your understanding of it moves from being irritating, to feeling a bit more accepting towards it.