🔗 Share this article Yuletide Often Proves to Be a Nightmare for Those with Misophonia. Over the years, people develop ways to try to better manage their condition. A 23-year-old is looking forward to spending time with her loved ones this Christmas, but notes a key strategy she'll endure is by relying on her earplugs - particularly at the main festive feast. In her case, Christmas can be a notably tough time as the auditory triggers of other people chewing, slurping and sniffling make her feel intense distress. "I get this feeling of sudden panic, my entire being will just tense up and it as though I'm in peril, and I need to manage these noises." Lottie has suffered from misophonia for several years and for her that renders the Christmas time "exceptionally stressful". Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to specific noises, notably sounds coming from those around you. The condition is widespread amongst adults. A study discovered nearly 20% people suffer from it. Frequently it's noises connected to eating or drinking that lead to discomfort, including examples such as crunching, heavy breathing, and repetitive finger tapping. A Source of Dread She explains: "I face so many assorted problematic noises at Christmas and that can be stressful and make you dread it. "My relatives are understanding, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a really big battle of managing my symptoms to guarantee the event goes smoothly." So it's obvious why the traditionally happy season can quickly turn into a stressful ordeal for sufferers. Sounds that may be considered normal, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can trigger a strong emotional response that can even lead to them withdrawing from gatherings. A 21-year-old student is considering coping mechanisms to get her through the holiday dinner. Jenna, a young adult, who has dealt with misophonia for over a decade, explains her strategy is to listen to music to manage the meal. Usually, she would frequently go in a different room to avoid problematic noises. She says her condition is more intense around people she's closest to, so Christmas is always "difficult". "People assume you to socialize with family, and I desire to, but it's physically and mentally challenging. "The sensation is this intense irritation washes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel anxious and immediately start crying and then panic will kick in. "It can come across as if I'm being difficult and overreacting, but it's tough to describe unless you've experienced it." Three Ways to Manage If it's an issue then there are a few methods you can try to cope the situation, based on advice from specialists. Visualise Something Else: Creative thinking is key. Attempt to link the specific noise causing distress with a neutral concept. As an illustration, try to picture someone's noisy drinking is just a sink draining water. By doing this is to help your brain learn that the sound affecting you poses no threat. Try a Competition: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a challenge with the person. For example, if someone is eating noisily attempt mimicking the sound. By joining in, rather than feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an willing part. And the challenge should help distract your brain and make you a little less affected. Develop a Narrative: Another technique is to try to create a little story about the reason someone making the noise is doing it. Imagine if someone was making a nasal sound, it could be that they're not feeling well or are troubled. By doing this is altering the perception of the sound. While the sound remains identical, your reaction of it shifts from being aggravating, to feeling a little more neutral about it.
Over the years, people develop ways to try to better manage their condition. A 23-year-old is looking forward to spending time with her loved ones this Christmas, but notes a key strategy she'll endure is by relying on her earplugs - particularly at the main festive feast. In her case, Christmas can be a notably tough time as the auditory triggers of other people chewing, slurping and sniffling make her feel intense distress. "I get this feeling of sudden panic, my entire being will just tense up and it as though I'm in peril, and I need to manage these noises." Lottie has suffered from misophonia for several years and for her that renders the Christmas time "exceptionally stressful". Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to specific noises, notably sounds coming from those around you. The condition is widespread amongst adults. A study discovered nearly 20% people suffer from it. Frequently it's noises connected to eating or drinking that lead to discomfort, including examples such as crunching, heavy breathing, and repetitive finger tapping. A Source of Dread She explains: "I face so many assorted problematic noises at Christmas and that can be stressful and make you dread it. "My relatives are understanding, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a really big battle of managing my symptoms to guarantee the event goes smoothly." So it's obvious why the traditionally happy season can quickly turn into a stressful ordeal for sufferers. Sounds that may be considered normal, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can trigger a strong emotional response that can even lead to them withdrawing from gatherings. A 21-year-old student is considering coping mechanisms to get her through the holiday dinner. Jenna, a young adult, who has dealt with misophonia for over a decade, explains her strategy is to listen to music to manage the meal. Usually, she would frequently go in a different room to avoid problematic noises. She says her condition is more intense around people she's closest to, so Christmas is always "difficult". "People assume you to socialize with family, and I desire to, but it's physically and mentally challenging. "The sensation is this intense irritation washes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel anxious and immediately start crying and then panic will kick in. "It can come across as if I'm being difficult and overreacting, but it's tough to describe unless you've experienced it." Three Ways to Manage If it's an issue then there are a few methods you can try to cope the situation, based on advice from specialists. Visualise Something Else: Creative thinking is key. Attempt to link the specific noise causing distress with a neutral concept. As an illustration, try to picture someone's noisy drinking is just a sink draining water. By doing this is to help your brain learn that the sound affecting you poses no threat. Try a Competition: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a challenge with the person. For example, if someone is eating noisily attempt mimicking the sound. By joining in, rather than feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an willing part. And the challenge should help distract your brain and make you a little less affected. Develop a Narrative: Another technique is to try to create a little story about the reason someone making the noise is doing it. Imagine if someone was making a nasal sound, it could be that they're not feeling well or are troubled. By doing this is altering the perception of the sound. While the sound remains identical, your reaction of it shifts from being aggravating, to feeling a little more neutral about it.