The Holiday Season Can Be a Nightmare for Those with Misophonia.

One young woman hopes for spending time with her loved ones during the festive period, but admits a primary method she'll cope is by relying on her noise-cancelling devices - especially during the main festive feast.

For the 23-year-old, the holidays can be a especially challenging period as the noises of other people chewing, drinking noisily and sniffling cause her intense distress.

"I experience this wave of instant dread, my entire being will just tense up and it seems as if I'm in danger, and I need to somehow control these triggers."

The individual has suffered from misophonia from a young age and for her that renders the festive season "incredibly overwhelming".

Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to particular auditory triggers, particularly those coming from those around you.

The condition is widespread amongst adults. Experts discovered nearly 20% people are affected by it.

Often it's sounds connected to eating or drinking that lead to discomfort, as well as things like crunching, breathing, and pen clicking.

'Anxiety Inducing'

The sufferer notes: "I face so many assorted problematic noises at Christmas and that can be daunting and make you fear it.

"Those close to me are understanding, but I'm very aware that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a really big battle of sacrificing my own sanity to make sure others enjoy themselves."

So it's clear why the traditionally happy season can quickly turn into a stressful ordeal for those with the condition.

Triggers that may be considered normal, like someone drinking champagne, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can provoke a strong emotional response that can even result in them avoiding social settings altogether.

The student, a 21-year-old student, who has dealt with sound sensitivity since aged 10, explains her strategy is to use headphones to manage the meal. On any other day, she would frequently go in a quiet area to minimize problematic noises.

She says her condition is worse around people she's most familiar with, so the holidays is always "difficult".

"People assume you to be around loved ones, and I want to, but it's draining.

"The sensation is this uncontrollable anger washes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel anxious and burst into tears and then panic will take over.

"It can come across as if I'm being oversensitive and dramatic, but it's hard to explain unless you've experienced it."

Several Strategies to Handle It

For those affected then there are a few methods you can try to cope the situation, as suggested by specialists.

1. Picture Something Else: Imagination is essential. Try to associate the specific noise causing distress with something completely different. As an illustration, try to imagine someone's slurping is just a gentle stream. The goal is to help your brain learn that the sound affecting you isn't harmful.
2. Use Humor: Introduce playfulness and turn the annoying sound into a challenge with the person. For instance, if someone is eating noisily attempt mimicking the sound. By mimicking, instead of feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an engaged person. And the game aspect should help shift your attention and make you somewhat less sensitive.
3. Create a Scenario: Another technique is to try to create a little story about the reason someone creating the sound is behaving that way. So if someone was sniffing, perhaps they're not in good health or are troubled. By doing this is altering the perception of the sound. Although the noise doesn't change, your interpretation of it shifts from being irritating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate about it.