Yuletide Transforms Into a Nightmare for Those with Misophonia.

One young woman hopes for seeing her family during the festive period, but notes a key strategy she'll cope is by wearing her hearing protection - particularly at the holiday meal.

In her case, Christmas often feels like a particularly difficult period as the noises of family members munching, slurping and breathing heavily cause her profound anxiety.

"I experience this wave of immediate anxiety, my entire being will just tense up and it seems as if I'm in danger, and I need to manage these noises."

The individual has suffered from sound sensitivity from a young age and for her that renders the festive season "exceptionally stressful".

Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to particular auditory triggers, especially noises produced by those around you.

It is prevalent amongst adults. A study reported nearly 20% people are affected by it.

Often it's noises associated with mouth, throat or facial movements that cause distress, along with examples such as crunching, heavy breathing, and pen clicking.

Triggering Stress

She explains: "You encounter so many assorted problematic noises at the holidays and that can be stressful and make you fear it.

"My relatives are understanding, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a really big battle of sacrificing my own sanity to make sure the event goes smoothly."

So it's clear why the supposedly joyous period can quickly turn into a stressful ordeal for sufferers.

Noises that may seem harmless, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, unwrapping gifts, or enjoying festive food can cause a strong emotional response that can even result in them skipping events entirely.

The student, a university student, who has experienced sound sensitivity from childhood, explains her strategy is to listen to music to manage the meal. Typically, she would frequently go in a quiet area to minimize distressing triggers.

She says her sensitivity is worse around people she's most familiar with, so Christmas is always "difficult".

"There's an expectation to socialize with family, and I desire to, but it's draining.

"The sensation is this sudden rage washes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel panicked and begin to weep and then panic will take over.

"To others it appears as if I'm being difficult and overreacting, but it's hard to explain without firsthand experience."

Several Strategies to Manage

If it's an issue then there are various strategies you can attempt to manage the situation, according to experts.

1. Imagine Something Else: Imagination is crucial. Attempt to link the triggering sound causing distress with a neutral concept. For instance, try to picture someone's slurping is just a gentle stream. By doing this is to retrain your mind that the sound affecting you isn't harmful.
2. Make it a Game: Have a bit of fun and turn the annoying sound into a challenge with the culprit. As an example, if someone is eating noisily attempt joining in. Through participation, rather than feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an engaged person. And the game aspect should help redirect your focus and make you a little less affected.
3. Craft a Story: Another technique 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, maybe they are not in good health or maybe they're upset. The idea is re-framing the context of the sound. Even though the noise stays the same, your understanding of it changes from being aggravating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate about it.