🔗 Share this article The Holiday Season Transforms Into a Living Hell for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity. With time, people have found ways to try to better manage their sound sensitivity. Lottie hopes for seeing her relatives during the festive period, but says a primary method she'll manage to get through it is by wearing her earplugs - especially during Christmas dinner. For the 23-year-old, this time of year is a especially challenging season as the auditory triggers of people eating, drinking noisily and breathing heavily make her feel profound anxiety. "I experience this feeling of instant dread, my entire being will just tighten and it as though I'm in danger, and I need to somehow control these triggers." She has suffered from this condition since she was 16 and for her that renders the festive season "exceptionally stressful". Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to certain sounds, notably sounds made by those around you. It's surprisingly common across the population. Researchers discovered nearly 20% people suffer from it. Often it's sounds connected to eating or drinking that trigger a reaction, along with things like crunching, breathing, and repetitive finger tapping. Triggering Stress She explains: "You encounter so many assorted problematic noises at Christmas and that can be stressful and make you want to avoid it. "My family are aware, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a constant struggle of sacrificing my own sanity to make sure the event goes smoothly." So it's easy to understand why the most wonderful season can rapidly become a stressful ordeal for affected individuals. Sounds that may appear innocuous, like someone sipping a beverage, unwrapping gifts, or enjoying festive food can cause a visceral feeling that can even lead to them withdrawing from gatherings. Another individual is already thinking about strategies to help her during Christmas lunch. Jenna, a young adult, who has dealt with sound sensitivity since aged 10, states the approach she intends to use is to listen to music to cope. On any other day, she would often retreat in a quiet area to minimize distressing triggers. She explains her sensitivity is more pronounced around people she's most comfortable with, so Christmas is always "difficult". "There's an expectation to spend time with family, and I wish to, but it's exhausting on all levels. "The sensation is this sudden rage takes hold, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel panicked and begin to weep and then fight-or-flight will take over. "It can come across as if I'm being difficult and melodramatic, but it's hard to explain unless you've experienced it." Three Ways to Cope If you suffer then there are a few methods you can attempt to manage the situation, as suggested by specialists. Picture Something Else: Creative thinking is crucial. Try to associate the triggering sound affecting you with an unrelated image. For instance, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. This technique is to retrain your mind that the sound triggering you is neutral. Make it a Game: Use lightheartedness and turn the annoying sound into a game with the person. For example, if someone is crunching loudly attempt mimicking the sound. By mimicking, rather than feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an engaged person. And the competition element should help shift your attention and make you somewhat less sensitive. Create a Scenario: One more method is to try to invent a reason about why the person creating the sound is having to make that sound. So if someone was sniffing, maybe they are not in good health or maybe they're upset. By doing this is changing the meaning of the sound. While the noise stays the same, your understanding of it moves from being annoying, to feeling a bit more accepting towards it.
With time, people have found ways to try to better manage their sound sensitivity. Lottie hopes for seeing her relatives during the festive period, but says a primary method she'll manage to get through it is by wearing her earplugs - especially during Christmas dinner. For the 23-year-old, this time of year is a especially challenging season as the auditory triggers of people eating, drinking noisily and breathing heavily make her feel profound anxiety. "I experience this feeling of instant dread, my entire being will just tighten and it as though I'm in danger, and I need to somehow control these triggers." She has suffered from this condition since she was 16 and for her that renders the festive season "exceptionally stressful". Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to certain sounds, notably sounds made by those around you. It's surprisingly common across the population. Researchers discovered nearly 20% people suffer from it. Often it's sounds connected to eating or drinking that trigger a reaction, along with things like crunching, breathing, and repetitive finger tapping. Triggering Stress She explains: "You encounter so many assorted problematic noises at Christmas and that can be stressful and make you want to avoid it. "My family are aware, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a constant struggle of sacrificing my own sanity to make sure the event goes smoothly." So it's easy to understand why the most wonderful season can rapidly become a stressful ordeal for affected individuals. Sounds that may appear innocuous, like someone sipping a beverage, unwrapping gifts, or enjoying festive food can cause a visceral feeling that can even lead to them withdrawing from gatherings. Another individual is already thinking about strategies to help her during Christmas lunch. Jenna, a young adult, who has dealt with sound sensitivity since aged 10, states the approach she intends to use is to listen to music to cope. On any other day, she would often retreat in a quiet area to minimize distressing triggers. She explains her sensitivity is more pronounced around people she's most comfortable with, so Christmas is always "difficult". "There's an expectation to spend time with family, and I wish to, but it's exhausting on all levels. "The sensation is this sudden rage takes hold, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel panicked and begin to weep and then fight-or-flight will take over. "It can come across as if I'm being difficult and melodramatic, but it's hard to explain unless you've experienced it." Three Ways to Cope If you suffer then there are a few methods you can attempt to manage the situation, as suggested by specialists. Picture Something Else: Creative thinking is crucial. Try to associate the triggering sound affecting you with an unrelated image. For instance, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. This technique is to retrain your mind that the sound triggering you is neutral. Make it a Game: Use lightheartedness and turn the annoying sound into a game with the person. For example, if someone is crunching loudly attempt mimicking the sound. By mimicking, rather than feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an engaged person. And the competition element should help shift your attention and make you somewhat less sensitive. Create a Scenario: One more method is to try to invent a reason about why the person creating the sound is having to make that sound. So if someone was sniffing, maybe they are not in good health or maybe they're upset. By doing this is changing the meaning of the sound. While the noise stays the same, your understanding of it moves from being annoying, to feeling a bit more accepting towards it.