Christmas Transforms Into a Terrifying Experience for Misophonia Sufferers.

One young woman hopes for seeing her loved ones this Christmas, but notes one of the only ways she'll cope is by relying on her noise-cancelling devices - particularly at the holiday meal.

For the 23-year-old, Christmas often feels like a especially challenging period as the auditory triggers of people eating, drinking noisily and nose-blowing cause her extremely uncomfortable.

"I get this feeling of instant dread, my whole body will just freeze and it as though I'm in peril, and I need to stop these triggers."

Lottie has lived with misophonia since she was 16 and for her that makes the Christmas time "deeply taxing".

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

It is prevalent amongst adults. A study reported a significant portion of people experience it.

Typically it's sounds connected to mouth, throat or facial movements that lead to discomfort, along with examples such as chewing, heavy breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.

A Source of Dread

She explains: "You encounter so many various auditory triggers at the holidays and that can be daunting and make you dread it.

"My family are supportive, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to upset others. It's like a constant struggle of enduring my distress to make sure others enjoy themselves."

So it's obvious why the supposedly joyous season can quickly turn into a stressful ordeal for sufferers.

Triggers that may be considered normal, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, unwrapping gifts, or enjoying festive food can cause a visceral feeling that can even lead to them skipping events entirely.

Jenna, a young adult, who has struggled with sound sensitivity since aged 10, says the approach she intends to use is to listen to music to manage the meal. Typically, she would usually isolate herself in a separate space to escape problematic noises.

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

"There's an expectation to spend time with family, and I wish to, but it's exhausting on all levels.

"I feel as if this uncontrollable anger comes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel anxious and immediately start crying and then fight-or-flight will take over.

"It can come across as if I'm being oversensitive and dramatic, but it's tough to describe if you haven't felt it."

A Few Techniques to Cope

If it's an issue then there are some different techniques you can use to handle the situation, based on advice from specialists.

1. Picture a Different Scenario: Imagination is key. Work on connecting the triggering sound causing distress with something completely different. For instance, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. This technique is to teach your brain that the sound triggering you poses no threat.
2. Make it a Game: Have a bit of fun and turn the annoying sound into a competition with the culprit. As an example, if someone is eating noisily have a go at mimicking the sound. Through participation, rather than feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an engaged person. And the challenge should help shift your attention and make you slightly more tolerant.
3. Craft a Story: A further strategy is to try to fabricate an explanation about the reason someone making the noise is doing it. For example if someone was making a nasal sound, it could be that they're not at their best or maybe they're upset. By doing this is changing the meaning of the sound. Even though the noise doesn't change, your interpretation of it changes from being aggravating, to feeling a little more neutral towards it.