The Holiday Season Often Proves to Be a Nightmare for Misophonia Sufferers.

One young woman is looking forward to spending time with her loved ones this Christmas, but says a primary method she'll endure is by relying on her hearing protection - especially during the holiday meal.

For her, the holidays can be a particularly difficult time as the noises of family members munching, drinking noisily and breathing heavily trigger intense distress.

"I experience this feeling of sudden panic, my entire being will just tighten and it as though I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to manage these triggers."

She has lived with this condition for several years and for her that makes the festive season "incredibly overwhelming".

Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to certain sounds, especially noises coming from individuals.

It is prevalent in the UK. Researchers reported almost one in five people experience it.

Frequently it's noises linked to eating or drinking that trigger a reaction, including examples such as chewing, breathing, and pen clicking.

'Anxiety Inducing'

She explains: "I face so many different triggering sounds at Christmas and that can be anxiety inducing and make you want to avoid it.

"My relatives are understanding, but I'm very aware that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a constant struggle of sacrificing my own sanity to guarantee the event goes smoothly."

So it's easy to understand why the most wonderful season can quickly turn into a source of agony for affected individuals.

Triggers that may appear innocuous, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, opening presents, or eating the holiday meal can trigger a powerful reaction that can even lead to them skipping events entirely.

Jenna, a university student, who has experienced sound sensitivity since aged 10, explains her strategy is to put her earphones in to cope. Typically, she would frequently go in a quiet area to avoid distressing triggers.

She notes her sensitivity is more intense around people she's most familiar with, so Christmas is always "challenging".

"People assume you to socialize with loved ones, and I wish to, but it's exhausting on all levels.

"I feel as if this sudden rage washes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel stressed and burst into tears and then panic will kick in.

"To others it appears as if I'm being unreasonable and melodramatic, but it's tough to describe if you haven't felt it."

A Few Techniques to Manage

For those affected then there are some different techniques you can attempt to manage the situation, based on advice from experts.

1. Visualise Something Else: Imagination is essential. Try to associate the particular sound bothering you with an unrelated image. So for example, try to picture someone's noisy drinking is just a sink draining water. This technique is to help your brain learn that the sound triggering you isn't harmful.
2. Use Humor: Introduce playfulness and turn the annoying sound into a game involving the source. For example, if someone is eating noisily attempt copying the noise. By joining in, instead of feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an willing part. And the challenge should help redirect your focus and make you somewhat less sensitive.
3. Develop a Narrative: A further strategy is to try to create a little story about why the person making the noise is having to make that sound. Imagine if someone was sniffing, it could be that they're not in good health or could be emotional. By doing this is altering the perception of the sound. Although the sound stays the same, your understanding of it changes from being annoying, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.