🔗 Share this article Yuletide Often Proves to Be a Living Hell for Those with Misophonia. Over the years, sufferers discover methods to try to better manage their misophonia. Lottie is looking forward to seeing her family during the festive period, but says a primary method she'll manage to get through it is by using her earplugs - particularly at the holiday meal. In her case, the holidays is a notably tough period as the sounds of other people chewing, drinking noisily and breathing heavily make her feel extremely uncomfortable. "I get 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." Lottie has suffered from misophonia from a young age and for her that renders the festive season "deeply taxing". Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to specific noises, especially noises coming from other people. It is prevalent across the population. Researchers discovered nearly 20% people suffer from it. Typically it's noises connected to mouth, throat or facial movements that cause distress, as well as things like crunching, heavy breathing, and pen clicking. A Source of Dread Lottie says: "I face so many various auditory triggers at the holidays and that can be daunting and make you dread it. "Those close to me are aware, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. 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 most wonderful period can quickly turn into a source of agony for those with the condition. Triggers that may seem harmless, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, unwrapping gifts, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can provoke a powerful reaction that can even result in them avoiding social settings altogether. A 21-year-old student is already thinking about strategies to get her through the holiday dinner. She, a university student, who has experienced sound sensitivity since aged 10, explains the approach she intends to use is to put her earphones in to manage the meal. Usually, she would frequently go in a different room to escape distressing triggers. She explains her misophonia is more pronounced around people she's closest to, so the holidays is always "challenging". "There's an expectation to be around family, and I wish to, but it's exhausting on all levels. "I feel as if this sudden rage washes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel stressed and begin to weep and then panic will take over. "It may seem as if I'm being unreasonable and melodramatic, but it's difficult to convey unless you've experienced it." Several Strategies to Manage If you suffer then there are a few methods you can try to cope the situation, based on advice from clinical psychologists. Picture a Different Scenario: Creative thinking is key. Try to associate the particular sound causing distress with something completely different. As an illustration, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a sink draining water. The goal is to help your brain learn that the sound triggering you poses no threat. Try a Competition: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a challenge involving the source. For instance, if someone is crunching loudly attempt joining in. By mimicking, rather than feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an active participant. And the challenge should help shift your attention and make you a little less affected. Craft a Story: A further strategy is to try to create a little story about the reason someone making the noise is having to make that sound. Imagine if someone was sniffing, it could be that they're not at their best or could be emotional. The idea is changing the meaning of the sound. Although the sound remains identical, your reaction of it shifts from being irritating, to feeling a bit more accepting towards it.
Over the years, sufferers discover methods to try to better manage their misophonia. Lottie is looking forward to seeing her family during the festive period, but says a primary method she'll manage to get through it is by using her earplugs - particularly at the holiday meal. In her case, the holidays is a notably tough period as the sounds of other people chewing, drinking noisily and breathing heavily make her feel extremely uncomfortable. "I get 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." Lottie has suffered from misophonia from a young age and for her that renders the festive season "deeply taxing". Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to specific noises, especially noises coming from other people. It is prevalent across the population. Researchers discovered nearly 20% people suffer from it. Typically it's noises connected to mouth, throat or facial movements that cause distress, as well as things like crunching, heavy breathing, and pen clicking. A Source of Dread Lottie says: "I face so many various auditory triggers at the holidays and that can be daunting and make you dread it. "Those close to me are aware, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. 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 most wonderful period can quickly turn into a source of agony for those with the condition. Triggers that may seem harmless, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, unwrapping gifts, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can provoke a powerful reaction that can even result in them avoiding social settings altogether. A 21-year-old student is already thinking about strategies to get her through the holiday dinner. She, a university student, who has experienced sound sensitivity since aged 10, explains the approach she intends to use is to put her earphones in to manage the meal. Usually, she would frequently go in a different room to escape distressing triggers. She explains her misophonia is more pronounced around people she's closest to, so the holidays is always "challenging". "There's an expectation to be around family, and I wish to, but it's exhausting on all levels. "I feel as if this sudden rage washes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel stressed and begin to weep and then panic will take over. "It may seem as if I'm being unreasonable and melodramatic, but it's difficult to convey unless you've experienced it." Several Strategies to Manage If you suffer then there are a few methods you can try to cope the situation, based on advice from clinical psychologists. Picture a Different Scenario: Creative thinking is key. Try to associate the particular sound causing distress with something completely different. As an illustration, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a sink draining water. The goal is to help your brain learn that the sound triggering you poses no threat. Try a Competition: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a challenge involving the source. For instance, if someone is crunching loudly attempt joining in. By mimicking, rather than feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an active participant. And the challenge should help shift your attention and make you a little less affected. Craft a Story: A further strategy is to try to create a little story about the reason someone making the noise is having to make that sound. Imagine if someone was sniffing, it could be that they're not at their best or could be emotional. The idea is changing the meaning of the sound. Although the sound remains identical, your reaction of it shifts from being irritating, to feeling a bit more accepting towards it.