đź”— Share this article Yuletide Transforms Into a Living Hell for Misophonia Sufferers. With time, individuals have found ways to handle their condition. Lottie hopes for spending time with her family over the holidays, but admits one of the only ways she'll endure is by relying on her earplugs - especially during Christmas dinner. In her case, Christmas is a particularly difficult period as the sounds of other people chewing, slurping and breathing heavily make her feel intense distress. "There's this sensation of instant dread, my every muscle will just tighten and it seems as if I'm in peril, and I need to manage these triggers." She has lived with this condition for several years and for her that causes the Christmas time "deeply taxing". Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to specific noises, notably sounds coming from individuals. The condition is widespread amongst adults. Experts reported nearly 20% people are affected by it. Often it's noises linked to mouth, throat or facial movements that cause distress, including things like crunching, heavy breathing, and pen clicking. Triggering Stress She explains: "You encounter so many different triggering sounds at the holidays and that can be anxiety inducing and make you want to avoid it. "My family are aware, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a internal conflict of enduring my distress to ensure others enjoy themselves." So it's obvious why the supposedly joyous time of the year can rapidly become a stressful ordeal for those with the condition. Sounds that may be considered normal, 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. Another individual is considering ways to get her through the holiday dinner. The student, a university student, who has experienced sound sensitivity since aged 10, explains the approach she intends to use is to listen to music to cope. Usually, she would usually isolate herself in a separate space to minimize distressing triggers. She explains her misophonia is more pronounced around people she's most familiar with, so the holidays is always "challenging". "People assume you to spend time with loved ones, and I wish to, but it's draining. "I feel as if this intense irritation washes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel stressed and burst into tears and then panic will activate. "To others it appears as if I'm being difficult and melodramatic, but it's difficult to convey if you haven't felt it." A Few Techniques to Handle It For those affected then there are some different techniques you can use to handle the situation, according to experts. Picture an Alternative: Mental imagery is crucial. Try to associate the particular sound causing distress with a neutral concept. So for example, try to picture someone's noisy drinking is just a waterfall. By doing this is to teach your brain that the sound triggering you is neutral. Try a Competition: Use lightheartedness and make the irritating noise into a challenge with the person. For instance, if someone is crunching loudly attempt mimicking the sound. Through participation, instead of feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an active participant. And the challenge should help shift your attention and make you a little less affected. Create a Scenario: A further strategy is to try to create a little story about why the person creating the sound is behaving that way. So if someone was making a nasal sound, it could be that they're not feeling well or maybe they're upset. This approach is altering the perception of the sound. While the sound remains identical, your understanding of it shifts from being annoying, to feeling a little more neutral about it.
With time, individuals have found ways to handle their condition. Lottie hopes for spending time with her family over the holidays, but admits one of the only ways she'll endure is by relying on her earplugs - especially during Christmas dinner. In her case, Christmas is a particularly difficult period as the sounds of other people chewing, slurping and breathing heavily make her feel intense distress. "There's this sensation of instant dread, my every muscle will just tighten and it seems as if I'm in peril, and I need to manage these triggers." She has lived with this condition for several years and for her that causes the Christmas time "deeply taxing". Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to specific noises, notably sounds coming from individuals. The condition is widespread amongst adults. Experts reported nearly 20% people are affected by it. Often it's noises linked to mouth, throat or facial movements that cause distress, including things like crunching, heavy breathing, and pen clicking. Triggering Stress She explains: "You encounter so many different triggering sounds at the holidays and that can be anxiety inducing and make you want to avoid it. "My family are aware, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a internal conflict of enduring my distress to ensure others enjoy themselves." So it's obvious why the supposedly joyous time of the year can rapidly become a stressful ordeal for those with the condition. Sounds that may be considered normal, 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. Another individual is considering ways to get her through the holiday dinner. The student, a university student, who has experienced sound sensitivity since aged 10, explains the approach she intends to use is to listen to music to cope. Usually, she would usually isolate herself in a separate space to minimize distressing triggers. She explains her misophonia is more pronounced around people she's most familiar with, so the holidays is always "challenging". "People assume you to spend time with loved ones, and I wish to, but it's draining. "I feel as if this intense irritation washes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel stressed and burst into tears and then panic will activate. "To others it appears as if I'm being difficult and melodramatic, but it's difficult to convey if you haven't felt it." A Few Techniques to Handle It For those affected then there are some different techniques you can use to handle the situation, according to experts. Picture an Alternative: Mental imagery is crucial. Try to associate the particular sound causing distress with a neutral concept. So for example, try to picture someone's noisy drinking is just a waterfall. By doing this is to teach your brain that the sound triggering you is neutral. Try a Competition: Use lightheartedness and make the irritating noise into a challenge with the person. For instance, if someone is crunching loudly attempt mimicking the sound. Through participation, instead of feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an active participant. And the challenge should help shift your attention and make you a little less affected. Create a Scenario: A further strategy is to try to create a little story about why the person creating the sound is behaving that way. So if someone was making a nasal sound, it could be that they're not feeling well or maybe they're upset. This approach is altering the perception of the sound. While the sound remains identical, your understanding of it shifts from being annoying, to feeling a little more neutral about it.