Christmas Often Proves to Be a Nightmare for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.

A 23-year-old anticipates spending time with her family over the holidays, but admits one of the only ways she'll endure is by relying on her noise-cancelling devices - especially during the holiday meal.

In her case, this time of year is a notably tough period as the noises of other people chewing, drinking noisily and breathing heavily trigger intense distress.

"There's this wave of immediate anxiety, my every muscle will just freeze and it seems as if I'm in danger, and I need to somehow control these noises."

She has lived with misophonia from a young age and for her that renders the holiday period "exceptionally stressful".

Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to specific noises, especially noises made by individuals.

It is prevalent amongst adults. A study discovered almost one in five people are affected by it.

Often it's sounds linked to bodily functions that lead to discomfort, as well as things like crunching, breathing, and foot tapping.

Triggering Stress

She explains: "There are so many different triggering sounds at the holidays and that can be stressful and make you dread it.

"My family are supportive, but I'm very aware that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a constant struggle of sacrificing my own sanity to guarantee the event goes smoothly."

So it's clear why the supposedly joyous season can rapidly become a living nightmare for sufferers.

Sounds that may seem harmless, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, opening presents, or eating the holiday meal can cause a powerful reaction that can even result in them withdrawing from gatherings.

Jenna, a 21-year-old student, who has experienced misophonia from childhood, states the approach she intends to use is to put her earphones in to cope. On any other day, she would usually isolate herself in a different room to minimize distressing triggers.

She says her misophonia is more intense around people she's most familiar with, so Christmas is always "challenging".

"There is pressure to socialize with loved ones, and I desire to, but it's exhausting on all levels.

"The sensation is this intense irritation comes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel panicked and begin to weep and then fight-or-flight will kick in.

"It may seem as if I'm being unreasonable and melodramatic, but it's difficult to convey without firsthand experience."

Three Ways to Manage

If it's an issue then there are a few methods you can use to handle the situation, according to specialists.

1. Picture a Different Scenario: Mental imagery is key. Try to associate the specific noise causing distress with a neutral concept. As an illustration, try to envision someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. The goal is to teach your brain that the sound triggering you poses no threat.
2. Use Humor: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a competition with the person. For instance, if someone is crunching loudly have a go at joining in. Through participation, rather than feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an engaged person. And the competition element 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 why the person creating the sound is having to make that sound. Imagine if someone was sniffing, maybe they are not at their best or are troubled. By doing this is changing the meaning of the sound. Even though the noise remains identical, your understanding of it moves from being annoying, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.