Christmas Often Proves to Be a Living Hell for Misophonia Sufferers.

One young woman anticipates spending time with her family over the holidays, but notes a primary method she'll cope is by using her earplugs - particularly at the main festive feast.

In her case, Christmas often feels like a particularly difficult time as the sounds of family members munching, sipping loudly and sniffling trigger intense distress.

"There's this wave of immediate anxiety, my every muscle will just freeze and it feels like I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to manage these noises."

The individual has suffered from misophonia for several years and for her that causes the Christmas time "incredibly overwhelming".

Misophonia is a decreased threshold to certain sounds, particularly those coming from other people.

It is prevalent amongst adults. Experts reported nearly 20% people suffer from it.

Typically it's noises linked to eating or drinking that trigger a reaction, as well as things like crunching, breathing, and pen clicking.

Triggering Stress

Lottie says: "There are so many various auditory triggers at Christmas and that can be daunting and make you want to avoid it.

"My family are understanding, but I'm very aware that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a internal conflict of enduring my distress to guarantee everyone else is happy."

So it's obvious why the supposedly joyous season can rapidly become a source of agony for sufferers.

Triggers that may appear innocuous, like someone drinking champagne, unwrapping gifts, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can cause a visceral feeling that can even result in them skipping events entirely.

Jenna, a young adult, who has experienced sound sensitivity since aged 10, explains the approach she intends to use is to put her earphones in to cope. Typically, she would frequently go in a different room to minimize triggering sounds.

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

"There's an expectation to socialize with loved ones, and I want to, but it's draining.

"The sensation is this uncontrollable anger takes hold, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel panicked and burst into tears and then panic will activate.

"It can come across as if I'm being difficult and overreacting, but it's hard to explain if you haven't felt it."

Several Strategies to Handle It

If it's an issue then there are a few methods you can use to handle the situation, as suggested by clinical psychologists.

1. Imagine Something Else: Creative thinking is crucial. Work on connecting the triggering sound causing distress with an unrelated image. So for example, try to imagine someone's slurping is just a gentle stream. This technique is to help your brain learn that the sound triggering you is neutral.
2. Make it a Game: Have a bit of fun and turn the annoying sound into a competition with the culprit. For instance, if someone is crunching loudly have a go at mimicking the sound. By joining in, rather than feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an active participant. And the challenge should help distract your brain and make you a little less affected.
3. Create a Scenario: Another technique is to try to invent a reason about the reason someone creating the sound is having to make that sound. Imagine if someone was sniffing, perhaps they're not in good health or are troubled. This approach is altering the perception of the sound. Even though the noise stays the same, your interpretation of it moves from being irritating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate towards it.