🔗 Share this article Christmas Often Proves to Be a Living Hell for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity. Through experience, individuals develop strategies to cope with their condition. One young woman anticipates seeing her loved ones this Christmas, but says a primary method she'll cope is by wearing her earplugs - particularly at Christmas dinner. For the 23-year-old, the holidays is a notably tough season as the noises of family members munching, slurping and nose-blowing cause her intense distress. "I experience this feeling of sudden panic, my whole body will just tighten and it as though I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to manage these noises." She has lived with this condition from a young age and for her that renders the Christmas time "incredibly overwhelming". Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to certain sounds, especially noises coming from those around you. The condition is widespread in the UK. A study discovered almost one in five people are affected by it. Often it's noises connected to bodily functions that lead to discomfort, as well as examples such as crunching, heavy breathing, and repetitive finger tapping. A Source of Dread She explains: "You encounter so many different triggering sounds at Christmas and that can be stressful and make you fear it. "My relatives are supportive, but I'm very aware that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a internal conflict of sacrificing my own sanity to guarantee everyone else is happy." So it's clear why the most wonderful season can quickly turn into a source of agony for sufferers. Sounds that may seem harmless, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, 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. A 21-year-old student is planning coping mechanisms to get her through the holiday dinner. She, a university student, who has struggled with sound sensitivity for over a decade, states the approach she intends to use is to use headphones to cope. On any other day, she would often retreat in a separate space to minimize distressing triggers. She says her condition is more pronounced around people she's closest to, so the holidays is always "difficult". "People assume you to be around loved ones, and I desire to, but it's exhausting on all levels. "I feel as if this intense irritation comes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel anxious and begin to weep and then fight-or-flight will activate. "It may seem as if I'm being difficult and dramatic, but it's difficult to convey unless you've experienced it." A Few Techniques to Cope For those affected then there are some different techniques you can attempt to manage the situation, based on advice from clinical psychologists. Picture an Alternative: Creative thinking is crucial. Try to associate the specific noise causing distress with an unrelated image. As an illustration, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a waterfall. The goal is to teach your brain that the sound triggering you isn't harmful. Try a Competition: Use lightheartedness and turn the annoying sound into a challenge with the culprit. For example, if someone is eating noisily attempt mimicking the sound. By mimicking, instead of feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an willing part. And the competition element should help redirect your focus and make you slightly more tolerant. Develop a Narrative: One more method is to try to fabricate an explanation about the reason someone creating the sound is doing it. For example if someone was making a nasal sound, it could be that they're not at their best or could be emotional. By doing this is changing the meaning of the sound. While the noise remains identical, your interpretation of it moves from being annoying, to feeling a slightly more compassionate about it.
Through experience, individuals develop strategies to cope with their condition. One young woman anticipates seeing her loved ones this Christmas, but says a primary method she'll cope is by wearing her earplugs - particularly at Christmas dinner. For the 23-year-old, the holidays is a notably tough season as the noises of family members munching, slurping and nose-blowing cause her intense distress. "I experience this feeling of sudden panic, my whole body will just tighten and it as though I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to manage these noises." She has lived with this condition from a young age and for her that renders the Christmas time "incredibly overwhelming". Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to certain sounds, especially noises coming from those around you. The condition is widespread in the UK. A study discovered almost one in five people are affected by it. Often it's noises connected to bodily functions that lead to discomfort, as well as examples such as crunching, heavy breathing, and repetitive finger tapping. A Source of Dread She explains: "You encounter so many different triggering sounds at Christmas and that can be stressful and make you fear it. "My relatives are supportive, but I'm very aware that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a internal conflict of sacrificing my own sanity to guarantee everyone else is happy." So it's clear why the most wonderful season can quickly turn into a source of agony for sufferers. Sounds that may seem harmless, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, 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. A 21-year-old student is planning coping mechanisms to get her through the holiday dinner. She, a university student, who has struggled with sound sensitivity for over a decade, states the approach she intends to use is to use headphones to cope. On any other day, she would often retreat in a separate space to minimize distressing triggers. She says her condition is more pronounced around people she's closest to, so the holidays is always "difficult". "People assume you to be around loved ones, and I desire to, but it's exhausting on all levels. "I feel as if this intense irritation comes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel anxious and begin to weep and then fight-or-flight will activate. "It may seem as if I'm being difficult and dramatic, but it's difficult to convey unless you've experienced it." A Few Techniques to Cope For those affected then there are some different techniques you can attempt to manage the situation, based on advice from clinical psychologists. Picture an Alternative: Creative thinking is crucial. Try to associate the specific noise causing distress with an unrelated image. As an illustration, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a waterfall. The goal is to teach your brain that the sound triggering you isn't harmful. Try a Competition: Use lightheartedness and turn the annoying sound into a challenge with the culprit. For example, if someone is eating noisily attempt mimicking the sound. By mimicking, instead of feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an willing part. And the competition element should help redirect your focus and make you slightly more tolerant. Develop a Narrative: One more method is to try to fabricate an explanation about the reason someone creating the sound is doing it. For example if someone was making a nasal sound, it could be that they're not at their best or could be emotional. By doing this is changing the meaning of the sound. While the noise remains identical, your interpretation of it moves from being annoying, to feeling a slightly more compassionate about it.