🔗 Share this article Yuletide Transforms Into a Living Hell for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity. Through experience, sufferers develop ways to try to better manage their sound sensitivity. Lottie is looking forward to seeing her family this Christmas, but says a key strategy she'll manage to get through it is by wearing her earplugs - particularly at Christmas dinner. For her, the holidays is a notably tough season as the noises of other people chewing, slurping and breathing heavily make her feel intense distress. "There's this feeling of instant dread, my every muscle will just tighten and it seems as if I'm in peril, and I need to somehow control these triggers." Lottie has suffered from sound sensitivity since she was 16 and for her that causes the Christmas time "deeply taxing". Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to specific noises, especially noises made by other people. The condition is widespread in the UK. Experts discovered a significant portion of people experience it. Often it's noises linked to bodily functions that cause distress, along with things like chewing, breathing, and repetitive finger tapping. A Source of Dread The sufferer notes: "There are so many different triggering sounds at the holidays and that can be stressful and make you fear it. "My family are supportive, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a constant struggle of managing my symptoms to guarantee the event goes smoothly." So it's obvious why the most wonderful period can transform into a source of agony for those with the condition. Noises that may be considered normal, like someone sipping a beverage, opening presents, or eating the holiday meal can trigger a visceral feeling that can even result in them skipping events entirely. A 21-year-old student is planning ways to get her through Christmas lunch. Jenna, a university student, who has dealt with misophonia since aged 10, explains her strategy is to put her earphones in to manage the meal. On any other day, she would usually isolate herself in a different room to minimize triggering sounds. She says her sensitivity is more pronounced around people she's most comfortable with, so Christmas is always "challenging". "People assume you to socialize with family, and I desire to, but it's exhausting on all levels. "The sensation is this uncontrollable anger takes hold, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel stressed and begin to weep and then fight-or-flight will take over. "It may seem as if I'm being difficult and melodramatic, but it's difficult to convey without firsthand experience." A Few Techniques to Cope If it's an issue then there are various strategies you can attempt to manage the situation, based on advice from specialists. Imagine an Alternative: Creative thinking is key. Work on connecting the particular sound bothering you with a neutral concept. So for example, try to envision someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. This technique is to retrain your mind that the sound affecting you is neutral. Use Humor: Have a bit of fun and make the irritating noise into a challenge with the culprit. As an example, if someone is crunching loudly attempt mimicking the sound. Through participation, instead of feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an willing part. And the challenge should help shift your attention and make you slightly more tolerant. Craft a Story: A further strategy is to try to invent a reason about the reason someone making the noise is behaving that way. For example if someone was sniffing, perhaps they're not in good health or maybe they're upset. This approach is re-framing the context of the sound. Although the noise stays the same, your reaction of it changes from being aggravating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate towards it.
Through experience, sufferers develop ways to try to better manage their sound sensitivity. Lottie is looking forward to seeing her family this Christmas, but says a key strategy she'll manage to get through it is by wearing her earplugs - particularly at Christmas dinner. For her, the holidays is a notably tough season as the noises of other people chewing, slurping and breathing heavily make her feel intense distress. "There's this feeling of instant dread, my every muscle will just tighten and it seems as if I'm in peril, and I need to somehow control these triggers." Lottie has suffered from sound sensitivity since she was 16 and for her that causes the Christmas time "deeply taxing". Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to specific noises, especially noises made by other people. The condition is widespread in the UK. Experts discovered a significant portion of people experience it. Often it's noises linked to bodily functions that cause distress, along with things like chewing, breathing, and repetitive finger tapping. A Source of Dread The sufferer notes: "There are so many different triggering sounds at the holidays and that can be stressful and make you fear it. "My family are supportive, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a constant struggle of managing my symptoms to guarantee the event goes smoothly." So it's obvious why the most wonderful period can transform into a source of agony for those with the condition. Noises that may be considered normal, like someone sipping a beverage, opening presents, or eating the holiday meal can trigger a visceral feeling that can even result in them skipping events entirely. A 21-year-old student is planning ways to get her through Christmas lunch. Jenna, a university student, who has dealt with misophonia since aged 10, explains her strategy is to put her earphones in to manage the meal. On any other day, she would usually isolate herself in a different room to minimize triggering sounds. She says her sensitivity is more pronounced around people she's most comfortable with, so Christmas is always "challenging". "People assume you to socialize with family, and I desire to, but it's exhausting on all levels. "The sensation is this uncontrollable anger takes hold, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel stressed and begin to weep and then fight-or-flight will take over. "It may seem as if I'm being difficult and melodramatic, but it's difficult to convey without firsthand experience." A Few Techniques to Cope If it's an issue then there are various strategies you can attempt to manage the situation, based on advice from specialists. Imagine an Alternative: Creative thinking is key. Work on connecting the particular sound bothering you with a neutral concept. So for example, try to envision someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. This technique is to retrain your mind that the sound affecting you is neutral. Use Humor: Have a bit of fun and make the irritating noise into a challenge with the culprit. As an example, if someone is crunching loudly attempt mimicking the sound. Through participation, instead of feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an willing part. And the challenge should help shift your attention and make you slightly more tolerant. Craft a Story: A further strategy is to try to invent a reason about the reason someone making the noise is behaving that way. For example if someone was sniffing, perhaps they're not in good health or maybe they're upset. This approach is re-framing the context of the sound. Although the noise stays the same, your reaction of it changes from being aggravating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate towards it.