🔗 Share this article The Holiday Season Transforms Into a Living Hell for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity. Over the years, people develop methods to try to better manage their misophonia. A 23-year-old is looking forward to being with her relatives during the festive period, but admits a key strategy she'll cope is by wearing her earplugs - especially during the holiday meal. For her, the holidays is a notably tough time as the sounds of other people chewing, drinking noisily and breathing heavily make her feel profound anxiety. "There's this feeling of sudden panic, my entire being will just tighten and it feels like I'm in danger, and I need to manage these noises." She has experienced misophonia for several years and for her that causes the festive season "incredibly overwhelming". Misophonia is a decreased threshold to particular auditory triggers, notably sounds made by those around you. It is prevalent amongst adults. Experts found nearly 20% people experience it. Often it's sounds associated with bodily functions that lead to discomfort, along with things like chewing, breathing, and foot tapping. 'Anxiety Inducing' She explains: "There are so many various auditory triggers at the holidays and that can be stressful and make you dread it. "My family are aware, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to upset others. It's like a internal conflict of enduring my distress to guarantee everyone else is happy." So it's obvious why the most wonderful season can quickly turn into a living nightmare for sufferers. Triggers that may be considered normal, like someone drinking champagne, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or eating the holiday meal can cause a powerful reaction that can even lead to them skipping events entirely. Jenna is considering ways to manage the holiday dinner. Jenna, a young adult, who has experienced misophonia for over a decade, says the approach she intends to use is to use headphones to get through dinner. Usually, she would often retreat in a separate space to escape triggering sounds. She says her sensitivity is more pronounced around people she's most familiar with, so the holidays is always "challenging". "There is pressure to spend time with family, and I wish to, but it's draining. "I feel as if this uncontrollable anger comes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel anxious and immediately start crying and then fight-or-flight will kick in. "To others it appears as if I'm being oversensitive and overreacting, but it's tough to describe if you haven't felt it." A Few Techniques to Manage If it's an issue then there are some different techniques you can attempt to manage the situation, according to specialists. Visualise Something Else: Mental imagery is key. Try to associate the particular sound affecting you with something completely different. So for example, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. This technique is to teach your brain that the sound triggering you poses no threat. Try a Competition: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a challenge with the person. For example, if someone is eating noisily try mimicking the sound. By joining in, instead of feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an engaged person. And the competition element should help distract your brain and make you somewhat less sensitive. Craft a Story: Another technique is to try to fabricate an explanation about the reason someone creating the sound is having to make that sound. So if someone was sniffing, maybe they are not in good health or could be emotional. By doing this is changing the meaning of the sound. While the sound doesn't change, your understanding of it changes from being annoying, to feeling a slightly more compassionate about it.
Over the years, people develop methods to try to better manage their misophonia. A 23-year-old is looking forward to being with her relatives during the festive period, but admits a key strategy she'll cope is by wearing her earplugs - especially during the holiday meal. For her, the holidays is a notably tough time as the sounds of other people chewing, drinking noisily and breathing heavily make her feel profound anxiety. "There's this feeling of sudden panic, my entire being will just tighten and it feels like I'm in danger, and I need to manage these noises." She has experienced misophonia for several years and for her that causes the festive season "incredibly overwhelming". Misophonia is a decreased threshold to particular auditory triggers, notably sounds made by those around you. It is prevalent amongst adults. Experts found nearly 20% people experience it. Often it's sounds associated with bodily functions that lead to discomfort, along with things like chewing, breathing, and foot tapping. 'Anxiety Inducing' She explains: "There are so many various auditory triggers at the holidays and that can be stressful and make you dread it. "My family are aware, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to upset others. It's like a internal conflict of enduring my distress to guarantee everyone else is happy." So it's obvious why the most wonderful season can quickly turn into a living nightmare for sufferers. Triggers that may be considered normal, like someone drinking champagne, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or eating the holiday meal can cause a powerful reaction that can even lead to them skipping events entirely. Jenna is considering ways to manage the holiday dinner. Jenna, a young adult, who has experienced misophonia for over a decade, says the approach she intends to use is to use headphones to get through dinner. Usually, she would often retreat in a separate space to escape triggering sounds. She says her sensitivity is more pronounced around people she's most familiar with, so the holidays is always "challenging". "There is pressure to spend time with family, and I wish to, but it's draining. "I feel as if this uncontrollable anger comes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel anxious and immediately start crying and then fight-or-flight will kick in. "To others it appears as if I'm being oversensitive and overreacting, but it's tough to describe if you haven't felt it." A Few Techniques to Manage If it's an issue then there are some different techniques you can attempt to manage the situation, according to specialists. Visualise Something Else: Mental imagery is key. Try to associate the particular sound affecting you with something completely different. So for example, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. This technique is to teach your brain that the sound triggering you poses no threat. Try a Competition: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a challenge with the person. For example, if someone is eating noisily try mimicking the sound. By joining in, instead of feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an engaged person. And the competition element should help distract your brain and make you somewhat less sensitive. Craft a Story: Another technique is to try to fabricate an explanation about the reason someone creating the sound is having to make that sound. So if someone was sniffing, maybe they are not in good health or could be emotional. By doing this is changing the meaning of the sound. While the sound doesn't change, your understanding of it changes from being annoying, to feeling a slightly more compassionate about it.