Christmas Can Be a Nightmare for Those with Misophonia.

One young woman anticipates seeing her loved ones this Christmas, but says one of the only ways she'll manage to get through it is by using her hearing protection - especially during the main festive feast.

For her, Christmas can be a especially challenging period as the sounds of people eating, drinking noisily and breathing heavily trigger profound anxiety.

"I get this feeling of instant dread, my whole body will just tighten and it seems as if I'm in danger, and I need to somehow control these triggers."

Lottie has lived with sound sensitivity from a young age and for her that causes the Christmas time "incredibly overwhelming".

Misophonia is a decreased threshold to particular auditory triggers, notably sounds made by those around you.

It's surprisingly common amongst adults. Researchers found almost one in five people experience it.

Often it's noises connected to mouth, throat or facial movements that trigger a reaction, including things like chewing, heavy breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.

'Anxiety Inducing'

The sufferer notes: "You encounter so many different triggering sounds at the holidays and that can be anxiety inducing and make you fear it.

"My relatives are aware, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to upset others. It's like a really big battle of enduring my distress to ensure the event goes smoothly."

So it's easy to understand why the most wonderful time of the year can rapidly become a stressful ordeal for sufferers.

Noises that may appear innocuous, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, unwrapping gifts, or eating the holiday meal can provoke a powerful reaction that can even lead to them skipping events entirely.

She, a young adult, who has dealt with misophonia since aged 10, says the approach she intends to use is to listen to music to manage the meal. Usually, she would usually isolate herself in a separate space to avoid triggering sounds.

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

"People assume you to spend time with family, and I desire to, but it's draining.

"It's like this uncontrollable anger washes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel anxious and begin to weep and then the stress response will activate.

"To others it appears as if I'm being oversensitive and overreacting, but it's hard to explain without firsthand experience."

Three Ways to Cope

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

1. Picture a Different Scenario: Mental imagery is essential. Attempt to link the particular sound affecting you with something completely different. For instance, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. The goal is to teach your brain that the sound affecting you poses no threat.
2. Try a Competition: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a competition with the person. As an example, if someone is eating noisily try mimicking the sound. By mimicking, instead of feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an active participant. And the game aspect should help shift your attention and make you slightly more tolerant.
3. Craft a Story: A further strategy is to try to create a little story about the reason someone creating the sound is having to make that sound. Imagine if someone was making a nasal sound, perhaps they're not feeling well or could be emotional. The idea is altering the perception of the sound. Even though the noise remains identical, your interpretation of it moves from being aggravating, to feeling a bit more accepting towards it.