🔗 Share this article Yuletide Often Proves to Be a Terrifying Experience for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity. Through experience, people develop methods to cope with their condition. Lottie anticipates seeing her loved ones this Christmas, but admits a key strategy she'll cope is by wearing her earplugs - particularly at the main festive feast. For the 23-year-old, this time of year often feels like a particularly difficult time as the auditory triggers of other people chewing, slurping and sniffling trigger profound anxiety. "There's this feeling of instant dread, my every muscle will just tense up and it as though I'm in danger, and I need to somehow control these triggers." The individual has experienced misophonia for several years and for her that makes the festive season "incredibly overwhelming". Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to specific noises, notably sounds coming from individuals. The condition is widespread across the population. Researchers found nearly 20% people are affected by it. Typically it's noises linked to mouth, throat or facial movements that lead to discomfort, including things like chewing, breathing, and repetitive finger tapping. Triggering Stress Lottie says: "You encounter so many various auditory triggers at Christmas and that can be anxiety inducing and make you dread it. "My relatives are aware, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a really big battle of sacrificing my own sanity to ensure the event goes smoothly." So it's easy to understand why the supposedly joyous time of the year can transform into a stressful ordeal for sufferers. Noises that may appear innocuous, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can trigger a powerful reaction that can even result in them withdrawing from gatherings. Jenna is already thinking about coping mechanisms to help her during the family meal. Jenna, a 21-year-old student, who has dealt with sound sensitivity since aged 10, says her strategy is to listen to music to get through dinner. Usually, she would frequently go in a separate space to avoid distressing triggers. She explains her sensitivity is more pronounced around people she's most comfortable with, so the holidays is always "difficult". "There is pressure to socialize with family, and I wish to, but it's draining. "The sensation is this intense irritation comes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel panicked and burst into tears and then panic will activate. "To others it appears as if I'm being oversensitive and overreacting, but it's hard to explain if you haven't felt it." Several Strategies to Manage If it's an issue then there are some different techniques you can attempt to manage the situation, as suggested by clinical psychologists. Visualise a Different Scenario: Imagination is crucial. Try to associate the particular sound affecting you with something completely different. So for example, try to picture someone's slurping is just a waterfall. The goal is to retrain your mind that the sound triggering you poses no threat. Try a Competition: Have a bit of fun and turn the annoying sound into a challenge involving the source. For instance, if someone is eating noisily have a go at copying the noise. Through participation, instead of feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an willing part. And the game aspect should help shift your attention 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, perhaps they're not at their best or maybe they're upset. The idea is changing the meaning of the sound. Even though the sound stays the same, your understanding of it changes from being irritating, to feeling a little more neutral towards it.
Through experience, people develop methods to cope with their condition. Lottie anticipates seeing her loved ones this Christmas, but admits a key strategy she'll cope is by wearing her earplugs - particularly at the main festive feast. For the 23-year-old, this time of year often feels like a particularly difficult time as the auditory triggers of other people chewing, slurping and sniffling trigger profound anxiety. "There's this feeling of instant dread, my every muscle will just tense up and it as though I'm in danger, and I need to somehow control these triggers." The individual has experienced misophonia for several years and for her that makes the festive season "incredibly overwhelming". Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to specific noises, notably sounds coming from individuals. The condition is widespread across the population. Researchers found nearly 20% people are affected by it. Typically it's noises linked to mouth, throat or facial movements that lead to discomfort, including things like chewing, breathing, and repetitive finger tapping. Triggering Stress Lottie says: "You encounter so many various auditory triggers at Christmas and that can be anxiety inducing and make you dread it. "My relatives are aware, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a really big battle of sacrificing my own sanity to ensure the event goes smoothly." So it's easy to understand why the supposedly joyous time of the year can transform into a stressful ordeal for sufferers. Noises that may appear innocuous, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can trigger a powerful reaction that can even result in them withdrawing from gatherings. Jenna is already thinking about coping mechanisms to help her during the family meal. Jenna, a 21-year-old student, who has dealt with sound sensitivity since aged 10, says her strategy is to listen to music to get through dinner. Usually, she would frequently go in a separate space to avoid distressing triggers. She explains her sensitivity is more pronounced around people she's most comfortable with, so the holidays is always "difficult". "There is pressure to socialize with family, and I wish to, but it's draining. "The sensation is this intense irritation comes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel panicked and burst into tears and then panic will activate. "To others it appears as if I'm being oversensitive and overreacting, but it's hard to explain if you haven't felt it." Several Strategies to Manage If it's an issue then there are some different techniques you can attempt to manage the situation, as suggested by clinical psychologists. Visualise a Different Scenario: Imagination is crucial. Try to associate the particular sound affecting you with something completely different. So for example, try to picture someone's slurping is just a waterfall. The goal is to retrain your mind that the sound triggering you poses no threat. Try a Competition: Have a bit of fun and turn the annoying sound into a challenge involving the source. For instance, if someone is eating noisily have a go at copying the noise. Through participation, instead of feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an willing part. And the game aspect should help shift your attention 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, perhaps they're not at their best or maybe they're upset. The idea is changing the meaning of the sound. Even though the sound stays the same, your understanding of it changes from being irritating, to feeling a little more neutral towards it.