🔗 Share this article Christmas Can Be a Living Hell for Misophonia Sufferers. With time, people develop methods to handle their misophonia. One young woman anticipates spending time with her loved ones during the festive period, but admits a key strategy she'll cope is by wearing her earplugs - notably for Christmas dinner. In her case, Christmas often feels like a especially challenging period as the auditory triggers of people eating, slurping and sniffling trigger extremely uncomfortable. "I experience this sensation of immediate anxiety, my every muscle will just tighten and it as though I'm in peril, and I need to somehow control these triggers." Lottie has lived with this condition since she was 16 and for her that causes the festive season "incredibly overwhelming". Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to particular auditory triggers, notably sounds produced by those around you. The condition is widespread amongst adults. A study discovered nearly 20% people suffer from it. Often it's noises linked to eating or drinking that trigger a reaction, including things like crunching, breathing, and foot tapping. 'Anxiety Inducing' Lottie says: "I face so many various auditory triggers at the holidays and that can be stressful and make you fear it. "My family are supportive, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to upset others. It's like a really big battle of sacrificing my own sanity to make sure others enjoy themselves." So it's easy to understand why the supposedly joyous season can quickly turn into a stressful ordeal for those with the condition. Triggers that may be considered normal, like someone drinking champagne, opening presents, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can provoke a strong emotional response that can even lead to them avoiding social settings altogether. Jenna is planning strategies to help her during the family meal. Jenna, a 21-year-old student, who has dealt with misophonia from childhood, says currently her plan is to put her earphones in to cope. Typically, she would frequently go in a separate space to escape distressing triggers. She notes her sensitivity is more pronounced around people she's closest to, so the holidays is always "difficult". "There is pressure to socialize with loved ones, and I want to, but it's draining. "The sensation is this sudden rage comes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel panicked and immediately start crying and then the stress response will activate. "To others it appears as if I'm being unreasonable and melodramatic, but it's difficult to convey unless you've experienced it." Several Strategies to Cope If you suffer then there are various strategies you can use to handle the situation, as suggested by experts. Imagine a Different Scenario: Mental imagery is crucial. Attempt to link the triggering sound bothering you with something completely different. As an illustration, try to picture someone's noisy drinking is just a sink draining water. The goal is to help your brain learn that the sound affecting you isn't harmful. Make it a Game: Introduce playfulness and turn the annoying sound into a competition with the person. For example, if someone is eating noisily have a go at joining in. By joining in, instead of feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an active participant. And the competition element should help shift your attention and make you somewhat less sensitive. Craft a Story: Another technique is to try to invent a reason about the reason someone creating the sound is behaving that way. For example if someone was sniffing, maybe they are not at their best or maybe they're upset. This approach is changing the meaning of the sound. Even though the noise remains identical, your understanding of it changes from being annoying, to feeling a slightly more compassionate towards it.
With time, people develop methods to handle their misophonia. One young woman anticipates spending time with her loved ones during the festive period, but admits a key strategy she'll cope is by wearing her earplugs - notably for Christmas dinner. In her case, Christmas often feels like a especially challenging period as the auditory triggers of people eating, slurping and sniffling trigger extremely uncomfortable. "I experience this sensation of immediate anxiety, my every muscle will just tighten and it as though I'm in peril, and I need to somehow control these triggers." Lottie has lived with this condition since she was 16 and for her that causes the festive season "incredibly overwhelming". Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to particular auditory triggers, notably sounds produced by those around you. The condition is widespread amongst adults. A study discovered nearly 20% people suffer from it. Often it's noises linked to eating or drinking that trigger a reaction, including things like crunching, breathing, and foot tapping. 'Anxiety Inducing' Lottie says: "I face so many various auditory triggers at the holidays and that can be stressful and make you fear it. "My family are supportive, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to upset others. It's like a really big battle of sacrificing my own sanity to make sure others enjoy themselves." So it's easy to understand why the supposedly joyous season can quickly turn into a stressful ordeal for those with the condition. Triggers that may be considered normal, like someone drinking champagne, opening presents, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can provoke a strong emotional response that can even lead to them avoiding social settings altogether. Jenna is planning strategies to help her during the family meal. Jenna, a 21-year-old student, who has dealt with misophonia from childhood, says currently her plan is to put her earphones in to cope. Typically, she would frequently go in a separate space to escape distressing triggers. She notes her sensitivity is more pronounced around people she's closest to, so the holidays is always "difficult". "There is pressure to socialize with loved ones, and I want to, but it's draining. "The sensation is this sudden rage comes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel panicked and immediately start crying and then the stress response will activate. "To others it appears as if I'm being unreasonable and melodramatic, but it's difficult to convey unless you've experienced it." Several Strategies to Cope If you suffer then there are various strategies you can use to handle the situation, as suggested by experts. Imagine a Different Scenario: Mental imagery is crucial. Attempt to link the triggering sound bothering you with something completely different. As an illustration, try to picture someone's noisy drinking is just a sink draining water. The goal is to help your brain learn that the sound affecting you isn't harmful. Make it a Game: Introduce playfulness and turn the annoying sound into a competition with the person. For example, if someone is eating noisily have a go at joining in. By joining in, instead of feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an active participant. And the competition element should help shift your attention and make you somewhat less sensitive. Craft a Story: Another technique is to try to invent a reason about the reason someone creating the sound is behaving that way. For example if someone was sniffing, maybe they are not at their best or maybe they're upset. This approach is changing the meaning of the sound. Even though the noise remains identical, your understanding of it changes from being annoying, to feeling a slightly more compassionate towards it.