How to Cope with Misophonia During the Summer

Summer is a time for joy and fun for those without misophonia, but for people with it, many fight-flight-freeze triggers come with the season. For example, lawnmowers are prevalent during summer and can trigger a person with misophonia. Non-human triggers have been reported in the literature as triggering despite human sounds being reported on more frequently.

For children, teens, and college students, misophonia might be easiest to manage during the summer, according to Jennifer Jo Brout, Psy.D. since they often have more control over their time. For those triggered by numerous summer sounds such as birds and other non-human noises, coping with misophonia involves a lot of flexibility.

Unfortunately, the frequency of lawnmowers is much harder to drown out than other human-generated noises like snoring, sniffling, or chewing. Due to this frequency difference, I am focusing more on lawnmowers and lawn and garden equipment such as leaf blowers, chainsaws, and weed-whackers than other misophonia triggers.

While sound masking with a frequency of noise such as pink or white noise is often employed in cases with misophonia by audiologists, this frequency may not cover sounds such as lawn and garden equipment. I have experienced this and use different coping methods such as testing different consumer devices with active noise cancelling. More research needs to be conducted on whether the mix of sound masking and active noise canceling is effective. My own experience and that of other misophonia sufferers suggest this is an effective way to cope with sounds that cannot be masked alone.

A mix of active noise canceling, sound generators, and CBT might be a helpful way to cope with misophonia. CBT has shown to be an effective mechanism for dealing with the disorder, as has sound masking. If possible, leaning into the ‘freeze’ aspect of the disorder and spending time away from the triggering sources is also a way to avoid the cumulative impact of sensory stimuli. Occupational therapists often utilize sensory diets for sensory disorders and suggest spending time in nature or doing activities one enjoys such as swimming or other sports to help remain calm in everyday life.

For moments when the above methods are not possible for coping, I have leaned into an approach that uses mantras, and four-square breathing to help distract the mind and calm the nervous system as much as possible. Stress balls, and other “fidget devices” can also be used as ways to help distract from the trigger. These devices are also suggested in the above sensory diet. However, it is important to remember that being triggered is not something one can control, and it’s okay to not feel okay in that moment. Clinicians and persons with misophonia should be vigilant in checking new research and coping methods as academic papers on the disorder grow. In the meantime, finding what works best for the individual is a prudent way to mitigate the distress caused by misophonia.