Christmas Often Proves to Be a Nightmare for Those with Misophonia.

A 23-year-old anticipates being with her relatives over the holidays, but says a key strategy she'll manage to get through it is by using her noise-cancelling devices - particularly at the holiday meal.

For the 23-year-old, Christmas can be a notably tough period as the auditory triggers of other people chewing, sipping loudly and breathing heavily make her feel intense distress.

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

The individual has suffered from misophonia since she was 16 and for her that makes the Christmas time "incredibly overwhelming".

Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to certain sounds, particularly those made by individuals.

It is prevalent in the UK. Researchers discovered almost one in five people suffer from it.

Typically it's sounds connected to eating or drinking that trigger a reaction, as well as things like crunching, heavy breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.

A Source of Dread

She explains: "I face so many different triggering sounds at the holidays and that can be daunting and make you dread it.

"My family are understanding, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to upset others. It's like a internal conflict of managing my symptoms to ensure everyone else is happy."

So it's obvious why the traditionally happy period can quickly turn into a source of agony for sufferers.

Noises that may seem harmless, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, unwrapping gifts, or enjoying festive food can trigger a strong emotional response that can even result in them avoiding social settings altogether.

The student, a university student, who has experienced sound sensitivity from childhood, says the approach she intends to use is to use headphones to get through dinner. Typically, she would frequently go in a different room to avoid triggering sounds.

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

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

"The sensation is this sudden rage washes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel anxious and burst into tears and then fight-or-flight will activate.

"It may seem as if I'm being oversensitive and melodramatic, but it's difficult to convey unless you've experienced it."

Several Strategies to Handle It

For those affected then there are some different techniques you can attempt to manage the situation, as suggested by specialists.

1. Picture a Different Scenario: Mental imagery is key. Try to associate the specific noise bothering you with an unrelated image. So for example, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a sink draining water. By doing this is to teach your brain that the sound affecting you isn't harmful.
2. Try a Competition: Have a bit of fun and make the irritating noise into a competition involving the source. For example, if someone is eating noisily try mimicking the sound. By mimicking, instead of feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an active participant. And the competition element should help distract your brain and make you somewhat less sensitive.
3. Create a Scenario: Another technique is to try to fabricate an explanation about why the person making the noise is behaving that way. So if someone was making a nasal sound, maybe they are not feeling well or maybe they're upset. By doing this is altering the perception of the sound. Even though the noise remains identical, your reaction of it shifts from being annoying, to feeling a bit more accepting towards it.