🔗 Share this article Yuletide Can Be a Nightmare for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity. Over the years, people have found strategies to try to better manage their sound sensitivity. A 23-year-old hopes for seeing her family this Christmas, but notes a key strategy she'll manage to get through it is by using her hearing protection - especially during Christmas dinner. For her, the holidays often feels like a particularly difficult season as the noises of people eating, slurping and sniffling cause her intense distress. "I experience this feeling of sudden panic, my whole body will just tighten and it as though I'm in peril, and I need to manage these triggers." Lottie has suffered from misophonia from a young age and for her that renders the holiday period "exceptionally stressful". Misophonia is a decreased threshold to specific noises, especially noises produced by those around you. It's surprisingly common in the UK. A study found almost one in five people suffer from it. Typically it's noises connected to bodily functions that lead to discomfort, as well as things like chewing, heavy breathing, and pen clicking. A Source of Dread Lottie says: "I face so many different triggering sounds at Christmas and that can be anxiety inducing and make you want to avoid it. "Those close to me are supportive, but I'm very aware that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a constant struggle of managing my symptoms to ensure the event goes smoothly." So it's easy to understand why the most wonderful period can rapidly become a living nightmare for sufferers. Triggers that may seem harmless, like someone sipping a beverage, opening presents, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can provoke a visceral feeling that can even cause them skipping events entirely. Another individual is already thinking about coping mechanisms to get her through the holiday dinner. She, a university student, who has experienced misophonia since aged 10, states currently her plan is to use headphones to manage the meal. Typically, she would often retreat in a separate space to escape problematic noises. She says her misophonia is worse around people she's most familiar with, so the holidays is always "difficult". "People assume you to be around loved ones, and I desire to, but it's physically and mentally challenging. "I feel as if this uncontrollable anger comes over me, which can feel embarrassing, 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 unreasonable and dramatic, but it's hard to explain without firsthand experience." Three Ways to Cope For those affected then there are a few methods you can try to cope the situation, based on advice from clinical psychologists. Visualise an Alternative: Imagination is key. Attempt to link the triggering sound affecting you with something completely different. So for example, try to picture someone's noisy drinking is just a sink draining water. This technique is to retrain your mind that the sound affecting you isn't harmful. Make it a Game: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a competition involving the source. For instance, if someone is crunching loudly have a go at mimicking the sound. By mimicking, instead of feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an active participant. And the competition element should help distract your brain and make you slightly more tolerant. Develop a Narrative: Another technique is to try to create a little story about why the person making the noise is doing it. So if someone was sniffing, it could be that they're not feeling well or maybe they're upset. This approach is altering the perception of the sound. While the noise stays the same, your reaction of it shifts from being annoying, to feeling a little more neutral about it.
Over the years, people have found strategies to try to better manage their sound sensitivity. A 23-year-old hopes for seeing her family this Christmas, but notes a key strategy she'll manage to get through it is by using her hearing protection - especially during Christmas dinner. For her, the holidays often feels like a particularly difficult season as the noises of people eating, slurping and sniffling cause her intense distress. "I experience this feeling of sudden panic, my whole body will just tighten and it as though I'm in peril, and I need to manage these triggers." Lottie has suffered from misophonia from a young age and for her that renders the holiday period "exceptionally stressful". Misophonia is a decreased threshold to specific noises, especially noises produced by those around you. It's surprisingly common in the UK. A study found almost one in five people suffer from it. Typically it's noises connected to bodily functions that lead to discomfort, as well as things like chewing, heavy breathing, and pen clicking. A Source of Dread Lottie says: "I face so many different triggering sounds at Christmas and that can be anxiety inducing and make you want to avoid it. "Those close to me are supportive, but I'm very aware that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a constant struggle of managing my symptoms to ensure the event goes smoothly." So it's easy to understand why the most wonderful period can rapidly become a living nightmare for sufferers. Triggers that may seem harmless, like someone sipping a beverage, opening presents, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can provoke a visceral feeling that can even cause them skipping events entirely. Another individual is already thinking about coping mechanisms to get her through the holiday dinner. She, a university student, who has experienced misophonia since aged 10, states currently her plan is to use headphones to manage the meal. Typically, she would often retreat in a separate space to escape problematic noises. She says her misophonia is worse around people she's most familiar with, so the holidays is always "difficult". "People assume you to be around loved ones, and I desire to, but it's physically and mentally challenging. "I feel as if this uncontrollable anger comes over me, which can feel embarrassing, 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 unreasonable and dramatic, but it's hard to explain without firsthand experience." Three Ways to Cope For those affected then there are a few methods you can try to cope the situation, based on advice from clinical psychologists. Visualise an Alternative: Imagination is key. Attempt to link the triggering sound affecting you with something completely different. So for example, try to picture someone's noisy drinking is just a sink draining water. This technique is to retrain your mind that the sound affecting you isn't harmful. Make it a Game: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a competition involving the source. For instance, if someone is crunching loudly have a go at mimicking the sound. By mimicking, instead of feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an active participant. And the competition element should help distract your brain and make you slightly more tolerant. Develop a Narrative: Another technique is to try to create a little story about why the person making the noise is doing it. So if someone was sniffing, it could be that they're not feeling well or maybe they're upset. This approach is altering the perception of the sound. While the noise stays the same, your reaction of it shifts from being annoying, to feeling a little more neutral about it.