The Holiday Season Can Be a Terrifying Experience for Misophonia Sufferers.

One young woman hopes for seeing her loved ones this Christmas, but says a key strategy she'll cope is by wearing her hearing protection - particularly at the holiday meal.

For her, Christmas is a particularly difficult season as the noises of other people chewing, sipping loudly and sniffling make her feel extremely uncomfortable.

"There's this wave of instant dread, my every muscle will just tighten and it as though I'm in peril, and I need to somehow control these sounds."

The individual has lived with sound sensitivity for several years and for her that causes the holiday period "exceptionally stressful".

Misophonia is a decreased threshold to particular auditory triggers, especially noises made by other people.

It's surprisingly common across the population. A study discovered almost one in five people are affected by it.

Frequently it's sounds connected to bodily functions that cause distress, along with things like crunching, breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.

Triggering Stress

She explains: "You encounter so many assorted problematic noises at the holidays and that can be anxiety inducing and make you want to avoid it.

"My relatives are aware, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a really big battle of sacrificing my own sanity to guarantee the event goes smoothly."

So it's easy to understand why the most wonderful time of the year can rapidly become a source of agony for affected individuals.

Sounds that may be considered normal, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or eating the holiday meal can cause a visceral feeling that can even result in them withdrawing from gatherings.

Jenna, a university student, who has experienced sound sensitivity from childhood, explains currently her plan is to put her earphones in to get through dinner. Usually, she would usually isolate herself in a quiet area to escape distressing triggers.

She says her condition is more pronounced around people she's most comfortable with, so the holidays is always "challenging".

"People assume you to be around family, and I want to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.

"The sensation is this intense irritation washes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel panicked and burst into tears and then panic will take over.

"It may seem as if I'm being unreasonable and dramatic, but it's tough to describe without firsthand experience."

Three Ways to Manage

If you suffer then there are various strategies you can try to cope the situation, according to specialists.

1. Imagine Something Else: Mental imagery is key. Try to associate the specific noise affecting you with something completely different. As an illustration, try to picture someone's noisy drinking is just a sink draining water. By doing this is to teach your brain that the sound affecting you poses no threat.
2. Use Humor: Have a bit of fun and make the irritating noise into a competition with the culprit. As an example, if someone is crunching loudly have a go at mimicking the sound. By mimicking, rather than feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an active participant. And the game aspect should help redirect your focus and make you somewhat less sensitive.
3. Develop a Narrative: Another technique is to try to fabricate an explanation about the reason someone creating the sound is doing it. Imagine if someone was sniffing, maybe they are not at their best or maybe they're upset. By doing this is changing the meaning of the sound. Even though the sound doesn't change, your understanding of it shifts from being aggravating, to feeling a little more neutral towards it.