🔗 Share this article Christmas Often Proves to Be a Nightmare for Those with Misophonia. With time, people discover ways to handle their misophonia. Lottie anticipates spending time with her relatives this Christmas, but notes a primary method she'll endure is by using her earplugs - notably for Christmas dinner. For her, Christmas often feels like a notably tough time as the auditory triggers of family members munching, sipping loudly and breathing heavily make her feel profound anxiety. "There's this sensation of immediate anxiety, my whole body will just freeze and it as though I'm in danger, and I need to stop these triggers." The individual has experienced this condition for several years and for her that renders the festive season "deeply taxing". Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to specific noises, especially noises made by other people. The condition is widespread amongst adults. Researchers discovered nearly 20% people suffer from it. Often it's noises associated with bodily functions that lead to discomfort, as well as things like crunching, heavy breathing, and foot tapping. Triggering Stress Lottie says: "I face so many different triggering sounds at the holidays and that can be anxiety inducing and make you want to avoid it. "My relatives are aware, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a really big battle of enduring my distress to ensure others enjoy themselves." So it's clear why the most wonderful time of the year can rapidly become a stressful ordeal for sufferers. Sounds that may seem harmless, like someone drinking champagne, opening presents, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can trigger a strong emotional response that can even cause them skipping events entirely. Jenna is considering coping mechanisms to help her during Christmas lunch. The student, a university student, who has struggled with misophonia for over a decade, explains her strategy is to put her earphones in to cope. On any other day, she would frequently go in a different room to escape problematic noises. She notes her misophonia 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 physically and mentally challenging. "It's like this sudden rage washes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel anxious and immediately start crying and then panic will activate. "To others it appears as if I'm being unreasonable and melodramatic, but it's tough to describe unless you've experienced it." Three Ways to Handle It If you suffer then there are some different techniques you can use to handle the situation, based on advice from clinical psychologists. Picture a Different Scenario: Mental imagery is crucial. Work on connecting the triggering sound affecting you with something completely different. As an illustration, try to picture someone's slurping is just a waterfall. The goal is to teach your brain that the sound affecting you poses no threat. Make it a Game: Introduce playfulness and turn the annoying sound into a challenge with the culprit. For example, if someone is eating noisily have a go at copying the noise. Through participation, instead of feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an engaged person. And the challenge should help redirect your focus and make you slightly more tolerant. Craft a Story: Another technique is to try to create a little story about why the person making the noise is doing it. Imagine if someone was sniffing, maybe they are not in good health or are troubled. This approach is re-framing the context of the sound. While the sound remains identical, your understanding of it shifts from being aggravating, to feeling a little more neutral towards it.
With time, people discover ways to handle their misophonia. Lottie anticipates spending time with her relatives this Christmas, but notes a primary method she'll endure is by using her earplugs - notably for Christmas dinner. For her, Christmas often feels like a notably tough time as the auditory triggers of family members munching, sipping loudly and breathing heavily make her feel profound anxiety. "There's this sensation of immediate anxiety, my whole body will just freeze and it as though I'm in danger, and I need to stop these triggers." The individual has experienced this condition for several years and for her that renders the festive season "deeply taxing". Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to specific noises, especially noises made by other people. The condition is widespread amongst adults. Researchers discovered nearly 20% people suffer from it. Often it's noises associated with bodily functions that lead to discomfort, as well as things like crunching, heavy breathing, and foot tapping. Triggering Stress Lottie says: "I face so many different triggering sounds at the holidays and that can be anxiety inducing and make you want to avoid it. "My relatives are aware, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a really big battle of enduring my distress to ensure others enjoy themselves." So it's clear why the most wonderful time of the year can rapidly become a stressful ordeal for sufferers. Sounds that may seem harmless, like someone drinking champagne, opening presents, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can trigger a strong emotional response that can even cause them skipping events entirely. Jenna is considering coping mechanisms to help her during Christmas lunch. The student, a university student, who has struggled with misophonia for over a decade, explains her strategy is to put her earphones in to cope. On any other day, she would frequently go in a different room to escape problematic noises. She notes her misophonia 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 physically and mentally challenging. "It's like this sudden rage washes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel anxious and immediately start crying and then panic will activate. "To others it appears as if I'm being unreasonable and melodramatic, but it's tough to describe unless you've experienced it." Three Ways to Handle It If you suffer then there are some different techniques you can use to handle the situation, based on advice from clinical psychologists. Picture a Different Scenario: Mental imagery is crucial. Work on connecting the triggering sound affecting you with something completely different. As an illustration, try to picture someone's slurping is just a waterfall. The goal is to teach your brain that the sound affecting you poses no threat. Make it a Game: Introduce playfulness and turn the annoying sound into a challenge with the culprit. For example, if someone is eating noisily have a go at copying the noise. Through participation, instead of feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an engaged person. And the challenge should help redirect your focus and make you slightly more tolerant. Craft a Story: Another technique is to try to create a little story about why the person making the noise is doing it. Imagine if someone was sniffing, maybe they are not in good health or are troubled. This approach is re-framing the context of the sound. While the sound remains identical, your understanding of it shifts from being aggravating, to feeling a little more neutral towards it.