🔗 Share this article The Holiday Season Transforms Into a Terrifying Experience for Misophonia Sufferers. With time, people develop ways to handle their condition. One young woman anticipates being with her loved ones during the festive period, but admits a primary method she'll cope is by using her earplugs - notably for the holiday meal. For the 23-year-old, Christmas is a especially challenging time as the sounds of people eating, sipping loudly and breathing heavily trigger profound anxiety. "I experience this sensation of sudden panic, my whole body will just freeze and it seems as if I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to manage these noises." The individual has lived with this condition from a young age and for her that makes the holiday period "deeply taxing". Misophonia is a decreased threshold to particular auditory triggers, especially noises made by those around you. The condition is widespread amongst adults. Researchers found nearly 20% people experience it. Frequently it's noises linked to mouth, throat or facial movements that trigger a reaction, as well as examples such as chewing, heavy breathing, and pen clicking. 'Anxiety Inducing' The sufferer notes: "There are so many assorted problematic noises at the holidays and that can be stressful and make you dread it. "Those close to me are aware, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a internal conflict of enduring my distress to guarantee others enjoy themselves." So it's easy to understand why the traditionally happy period can quickly turn into a source of agony for sufferers. Sounds that may seem harmless, like someone drinking champagne, unwrapping gifts, or enjoying festive food can trigger a visceral feeling that can even result in them skipping events entirely. Another individual is already thinking about ways to manage the holiday dinner. She, a university student, who has dealt with misophonia from childhood, says her strategy is to put her earphones in to cope. Typically, she would often retreat in a different room to minimize triggering sounds. She says her condition is more intense around people she's most familiar with, so Christmas is always "difficult". "There's an expectation to be around family, and I desire to, but it's exhausting on all levels. "It's like this uncontrollable anger washes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel stressed and burst into tears and then the stress response will activate. "It can come across as if I'm being unreasonable and overreacting, but it's hard to explain if you haven't felt it." Three Ways to Cope If it's an issue then there are some different techniques you can try to cope the situation, according to clinical psychologists. Picture an Alternative: Creative thinking is essential. Attempt to link the triggering sound causing distress with an unrelated image. As an illustration, try to picture someone's noisy drinking is just a waterfall. This technique is to retrain your mind that the sound triggering you is neutral. Make it a Game: Use lightheartedness and turn the annoying sound into a game involving the source. For instance, if someone is crunching loudly try joining in. Through participation, rather than feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an willing part. And the competition element should help shift your attention and make you somewhat less sensitive. Create a Scenario: One more method is to try to create a little story about why the person creating the sound is behaving that way. For example if someone was making a nasal sound, maybe they are not in good health or could be emotional. This approach is re-framing the context of the sound. Even though the sound stays the same, your reaction of it shifts from being aggravating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate about it.
With time, people develop ways to handle their condition. One young woman anticipates being with her loved ones during the festive period, but admits a primary method she'll cope is by using her earplugs - notably for the holiday meal. For the 23-year-old, Christmas is a especially challenging time as the sounds of people eating, sipping loudly and breathing heavily trigger profound anxiety. "I experience this sensation of sudden panic, my whole body will just freeze and it seems as if I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to manage these noises." The individual has lived with this condition from a young age and for her that makes the holiday period "deeply taxing". Misophonia is a decreased threshold to particular auditory triggers, especially noises made by those around you. The condition is widespread amongst adults. Researchers found nearly 20% people experience it. Frequently it's noises linked to mouth, throat or facial movements that trigger a reaction, as well as examples such as chewing, heavy breathing, and pen clicking. 'Anxiety Inducing' The sufferer notes: "There are so many assorted problematic noises at the holidays and that can be stressful and make you dread it. "Those close to me are aware, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a internal conflict of enduring my distress to guarantee others enjoy themselves." So it's easy to understand why the traditionally happy period can quickly turn into a source of agony for sufferers. Sounds that may seem harmless, like someone drinking champagne, unwrapping gifts, or enjoying festive food can trigger a visceral feeling that can even result in them skipping events entirely. Another individual is already thinking about ways to manage the holiday dinner. She, a university student, who has dealt with misophonia from childhood, says her strategy is to put her earphones in to cope. Typically, she would often retreat in a different room to minimize triggering sounds. She says her condition is more intense around people she's most familiar with, so Christmas is always "difficult". "There's an expectation to be around family, and I desire to, but it's exhausting on all levels. "It's like this uncontrollable anger washes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel stressed and burst into tears and then the stress response will activate. "It can come across as if I'm being unreasonable and overreacting, but it's hard to explain if you haven't felt it." Three Ways to Cope If it's an issue then there are some different techniques you can try to cope the situation, according to clinical psychologists. Picture an Alternative: Creative thinking is essential. Attempt to link the triggering sound causing distress with an unrelated image. As an illustration, try to picture someone's noisy drinking is just a waterfall. This technique is to retrain your mind that the sound triggering you is neutral. Make it a Game: Use lightheartedness and turn the annoying sound into a game involving the source. For instance, if someone is crunching loudly try joining in. Through participation, rather than feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an willing part. And the competition element should help shift your attention and make you somewhat less sensitive. Create a Scenario: One more method is to try to create a little story about why the person creating the sound is behaving that way. For example if someone was making a nasal sound, maybe they are not in good health or could be emotional. This approach is re-framing the context of the sound. Even though the sound stays the same, your reaction of it shifts from being aggravating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate about it.