🔗 Share this article The Holiday Season Can Be a Terrifying Experience for Those with Misophonia. Through experience, individuals have found strategies to handle their condition. Lottie is looking forward to being with her relatives this Christmas, but admits one of the only ways she'll cope is by using her earplugs - especially during the holiday meal. For the 23-year-old, the holidays is a particularly difficult season as the noises of other people chewing, drinking noisily and nose-blowing make her feel intense distress. "I get this sensation of immediate anxiety, my every muscle will just freeze and it seems as if I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to somehow control these triggers." She has lived with misophonia since she was 16 and for her that renders the festive season "exceptionally stressful". Misophonia is a decreased threshold to particular auditory triggers, especially noises made by those around you. It is prevalent in the UK. A study discovered almost one in five people experience it. Often it's sounds associated with mouth, throat or facial movements that cause distress, as well as things like crunching, breathing, and repetitive finger tapping. Triggering Stress Lottie says: "You encounter so many different triggering sounds at Christmas and that can be stressful and make you dread it. "My relatives are aware, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to upset others. It's like a really big battle of enduring my distress to guarantee the event goes smoothly." So it's easy to understand why the supposedly joyous season can quickly turn into a source of agony for affected individuals. Sounds that may seem harmless, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, opening presents, or enjoying festive food can provoke a strong emotional response that can even lead to them withdrawing from gatherings. Jenna is already thinking about coping mechanisms to help her during the family meal. The student, a 21-year-old student, who has struggled with misophonia for over a decade, explains the approach she intends to use is to listen to music to get through dinner. Typically, she would frequently go in a separate space to avoid distressing triggers. She notes her misophonia is more intense around people she's closest to, so the holidays is always "challenging". "There is pressure to spend time with loved ones, and I want to, but it's draining. "The sensation is this uncontrollable anger washes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel stressed and immediately start crying and then the stress response will kick in. "To others it appears as if I'm being difficult and overreacting, but it's hard to explain unless you've experienced it." Three Ways to Cope For those affected then there are a few methods you can try to cope the situation, based on advice from specialists. Imagine Something Else: Imagination is crucial. Try to associate the particular sound causing distress with a neutral concept. As an illustration, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a waterfall. The goal is to help your brain learn that the sound affecting you isn't harmful. Make it a Game: Have a bit of fun and make the irritating noise into a game with the culprit. For example, if someone is eating noisily attempt joining in. Through participation, instead of feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an active participant. And the challenge should help redirect your focus and make you a little less affected. Develop a Narrative: A further strategy is to try to fabricate an explanation about why the person creating the sound is having to make that sound. For example if someone was sniffing, it could be that they're not at their best or maybe they're upset. By doing this is altering the perception of the sound. Although the sound remains identical, your interpretation of it moves from being aggravating, to feeling a little more neutral towards it.
Through experience, individuals have found strategies to handle their condition. Lottie is looking forward to being with her relatives this Christmas, but admits one of the only ways she'll cope is by using her earplugs - especially during the holiday meal. For the 23-year-old, the holidays is a particularly difficult season as the noises of other people chewing, drinking noisily and nose-blowing make her feel intense distress. "I get this sensation of immediate anxiety, my every muscle will just freeze and it seems as if I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to somehow control these triggers." She has lived with misophonia since she was 16 and for her that renders the festive season "exceptionally stressful". Misophonia is a decreased threshold to particular auditory triggers, especially noises made by those around you. It is prevalent in the UK. A study discovered almost one in five people experience it. Often it's sounds associated with mouth, throat or facial movements that cause distress, as well as things like crunching, breathing, and repetitive finger tapping. Triggering Stress Lottie says: "You encounter so many different triggering sounds at Christmas and that can be stressful and make you dread it. "My relatives are aware, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to upset others. It's like a really big battle of enduring my distress to guarantee the event goes smoothly." So it's easy to understand why the supposedly joyous season can quickly turn into a source of agony for affected individuals. Sounds that may seem harmless, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, opening presents, or enjoying festive food can provoke a strong emotional response that can even lead to them withdrawing from gatherings. Jenna is already thinking about coping mechanisms to help her during the family meal. The student, a 21-year-old student, who has struggled with misophonia for over a decade, explains the approach she intends to use is to listen to music to get through dinner. Typically, she would frequently go in a separate space to avoid distressing triggers. She notes her misophonia is more intense around people she's closest to, so the holidays is always "challenging". "There is pressure to spend time with loved ones, and I want to, but it's draining. "The sensation is this uncontrollable anger washes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel stressed and immediately start crying and then the stress response will kick in. "To others it appears as if I'm being difficult and overreacting, but it's hard to explain unless you've experienced it." Three Ways to Cope For those affected then there are a few methods you can try to cope the situation, based on advice from specialists. Imagine Something Else: Imagination is crucial. Try to associate the particular sound causing distress with a neutral concept. As an illustration, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a waterfall. The goal is to help your brain learn that the sound affecting you isn't harmful. Make it a Game: Have a bit of fun and make the irritating noise into a game with the culprit. For example, if someone is eating noisily attempt joining in. Through participation, instead of feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an active participant. And the challenge should help redirect your focus and make you a little less affected. Develop a Narrative: A further strategy is to try to fabricate an explanation about why the person creating the sound is having to make that sound. For example if someone was sniffing, it could be that they're not at their best or maybe they're upset. By doing this is altering the perception of the sound. Although the sound remains identical, your interpretation of it moves from being aggravating, to feeling a little more neutral towards it.