The Holiday Season Transforms Into a Living Hell for Misophonia Sufferers.

One young woman is looking forward to spending time with her loved ones over the holidays, but notes one of the only ways she'll manage to get through it is by wearing her noise-cancelling devices - particularly at the main festive feast.

For the 23-year-old, the holidays can be a notably tough time as the auditory triggers of people eating, drinking noisily and sniffling make her feel intense distress.

"I experience this sensation of immediate anxiety, my every muscle will just tense up and it feels like I'm in danger, and I need to manage these triggers."

She has experienced this condition for several years and for her that renders the Christmas time "incredibly overwhelming".

Misophonia is a decreased threshold to certain sounds, especially noises produced by individuals.

It's surprisingly common amongst adults. Experts discovered almost one in five people are affected by it.

Often it's noises associated with eating or drinking that trigger a reaction, along with examples such as crunching, heavy breathing, and foot tapping.

Triggering Stress

Lottie says: "I face so many different triggering sounds at Christmas and that can be daunting and make you want to avoid it.

"Those close to me are understanding, but I'm very aware that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a internal conflict of enduring my distress to guarantee others enjoy themselves."

So it's clear why the supposedly joyous period can rapidly become a stressful ordeal for those with the condition.

Triggers that may be considered normal, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can provoke a strong emotional response that can even cause them withdrawing from gatherings.

The student, a 21-year-old student, who has experienced sound sensitivity for over a decade, explains her strategy is to put her earphones in to get through dinner. Usually, she would often retreat in a different room to avoid problematic noises.

She explains her condition is more intense around people she's most familiar with, so the holidays is always "challenging".

"People assume you to spend time with loved ones, and I desire to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.

"I feel as if this sudden rage comes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel panicked and begin to weep and then the stress response will activate.

"It can come across as if I'm being unreasonable and overreacting, but it's difficult to convey unless you've experienced it."

Several Strategies to Handle It

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

1. Visualise Something Else: Mental imagery is key. Attempt to link the particular sound bothering you with an unrelated image. For instance, try to envision someone's slurping is just a waterfall. The goal is to help your brain learn that the sound affecting you isn't harmful.
2. Make it a Game: Introduce playfulness and turn the annoying sound into a competition with the culprit. For example, if someone is crunching loudly have a go at copying the noise. Through participation, instead of feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an engaged person. And the challenge should help shift your attention and make you somewhat less sensitive.
3. Develop a Narrative: Another technique is to try to fabricate an explanation about the reason someone making the noise is behaving that way. Imagine if someone was sniffing, perhaps they're not at their best or maybe they're upset. The idea is re-framing the context of the sound. Although the sound remains identical, your reaction of it moves from being annoying, to feeling a little more neutral about it.