🔗 Share this article Yuletide Can Be a Nightmare for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity. With time, sufferers have found methods to handle their sound sensitivity. One young woman hopes for spending time with her relatives over the holidays, but says one of the only ways she'll cope is by relying on her hearing protection - especially during the holiday meal. In her case, this time of year can be a especially challenging season as the sounds of other people chewing, drinking noisily and nose-blowing cause her extremely uncomfortable. "There's this feeling of immediate anxiety, my entire being will just tense up and it seems as if I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to somehow control these sounds." The individual has lived with sound sensitivity since she was 16 and for her that causes the holiday period "deeply taxing". Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to particular auditory triggers, notably sounds coming from those around you. The condition is widespread in the UK. A study discovered a significant portion of people experience it. Often it's sounds associated with eating or drinking that trigger a reaction, along with examples such as chewing, breathing, and foot tapping. 'Anxiety Inducing' She explains: "You encounter so many various auditory triggers at Christmas and that can be anxiety inducing and make you fear it. "Those close to me are aware, but I'm very aware that I don't want to upset others. It's like a really big battle of managing my symptoms to guarantee the event goes smoothly." So it's easy to understand why the supposedly joyous period can rapidly become a stressful ordeal for those with the condition. Noises that may seem harmless, like someone sipping a beverage, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can trigger a visceral feeling that can even result in them withdrawing from gatherings. Another individual is planning coping mechanisms to get her through Christmas lunch. The student, a 21-year-old student, who has dealt with misophonia for over a decade, says the approach she intends to use is to listen to music to cope. Usually, she would usually isolate herself in a separate space to escape distressing triggers. She explains her condition is worse around people she's most comfortable with, so the holidays is always "hard". "People assume you to be around loved ones, and I wish to, but it's exhausting on all levels. "I feel as if this sudden rage comes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel stressed and immediately start crying and then the stress response will kick in. "It can come across as if I'm being difficult and melodramatic, but it's difficult to convey without firsthand experience." Several Strategies to Manage For those affected then there are a few methods you can try to cope the situation, according to experts. Picture an Alternative: Creative thinking is key. Attempt to link the triggering sound affecting you with something completely different. For instance, try to imagine someone's slurping is just a gentle stream. By doing this is to teach your brain that the sound affecting you isn't harmful. Use Humor: Have a bit of fun and make the irritating noise into a competition with the person. As an example, if someone is eating noisily attempt mimicking the sound. By mimicking, instead of feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an engaged person. And the competition element should help shift your attention and make you slightly more tolerant. Develop a Narrative: A further strategy is to try to fabricate an explanation about the reason someone making the noise is behaving that way. Imagine if someone was making a nasal sound, perhaps they're not in good health or are troubled. By doing this is re-framing the context of the sound. Even though the sound remains identical, your reaction of it changes from being aggravating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate about it.
With time, sufferers have found methods to handle their sound sensitivity. One young woman hopes for spending time with her relatives over the holidays, but says one of the only ways she'll cope is by relying on her hearing protection - especially during the holiday meal. In her case, this time of year can be a especially challenging season as the sounds of other people chewing, drinking noisily and nose-blowing cause her extremely uncomfortable. "There's this feeling of immediate anxiety, my entire being will just tense up and it seems as if I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to somehow control these sounds." The individual has lived with sound sensitivity since she was 16 and for her that causes the holiday period "deeply taxing". Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to particular auditory triggers, notably sounds coming from those around you. The condition is widespread in the UK. A study discovered a significant portion of people experience it. Often it's sounds associated with eating or drinking that trigger a reaction, along with examples such as chewing, breathing, and foot tapping. 'Anxiety Inducing' She explains: "You encounter so many various auditory triggers at Christmas and that can be anxiety inducing and make you fear it. "Those close to me are aware, but I'm very aware that I don't want to upset others. It's like a really big battle of managing my symptoms to guarantee the event goes smoothly." So it's easy to understand why the supposedly joyous period can rapidly become a stressful ordeal for those with the condition. Noises that may seem harmless, like someone sipping a beverage, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can trigger a visceral feeling that can even result in them withdrawing from gatherings. Another individual is planning coping mechanisms to get her through Christmas lunch. The student, a 21-year-old student, who has dealt with misophonia for over a decade, says the approach she intends to use is to listen to music to cope. Usually, she would usually isolate herself in a separate space to escape distressing triggers. She explains her condition is worse around people she's most comfortable with, so the holidays is always "hard". "People assume you to be around loved ones, and I wish to, but it's exhausting on all levels. "I feel as if this sudden rage comes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel stressed and immediately start crying and then the stress response will kick in. "It can come across as if I'm being difficult and melodramatic, but it's difficult to convey without firsthand experience." Several Strategies to Manage For those affected then there are a few methods you can try to cope the situation, according to experts. Picture an Alternative: Creative thinking is key. Attempt to link the triggering sound affecting you with something completely different. For instance, try to imagine someone's slurping is just a gentle stream. By doing this is to teach your brain that the sound affecting you isn't harmful. Use Humor: Have a bit of fun and make the irritating noise into a competition with the person. As an example, if someone is eating noisily attempt mimicking the sound. By mimicking, instead of feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an engaged person. And the competition element should help shift your attention and make you slightly more tolerant. Develop a Narrative: A further strategy is to try to fabricate an explanation about the reason someone making the noise is behaving that way. Imagine if someone was making a nasal sound, perhaps they're not in good health or are troubled. By doing this is re-framing the context of the sound. Even though the sound remains identical, your reaction of it changes from being aggravating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate about it.