The Holiday Season Can Be a Living Hell for Misophonia Sufferers.

One young woman hopes for spending time with her family this Christmas, but notes a primary method she'll cope is by using her earplugs - notably for the holiday meal.

In her case, Christmas is a notably tough time as the noises of family members munching, sipping loudly and breathing heavily make her feel extremely uncomfortable.

"There's this sensation of sudden panic, my every muscle will just tense up and it as though I'm in peril, and I need to somehow control these sounds."

She has lived with misophonia from a young age and for her that causes the festive season "deeply taxing".

Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to particular auditory triggers, especially noises coming from individuals.

The condition is widespread amongst adults. Experts found nearly 20% people experience it.

Typically it's sounds linked to mouth, throat or facial movements that lead to discomfort, including things like chewing, heavy breathing, and foot tapping.

'Anxiety Inducing'

Lottie says: "I face so many different triggering sounds at the holidays and that can be daunting and make you fear it.

"Those close to me are aware, but I'm very aware that I don't want to upset others. It's like a really big battle of managing my symptoms to guarantee others enjoy themselves."

So it's clear why the supposedly joyous time of the year can transform into a stressful ordeal for affected individuals.

Triggers that may be considered normal, like someone drinking champagne, unwrapping gifts, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can trigger a powerful reaction that can even cause them skipping events entirely.

She, a university student, who has struggled with misophonia since aged 10, says the approach she intends to use is to use headphones to manage the meal. Usually, she would often retreat in a quiet area to escape problematic noises.

She says her condition is more intense around people she's most comfortable with, so Christmas is always "hard".

"There's an expectation to be around loved ones, and I wish to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.

"I feel as if this intense irritation takes hold, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel anxious and immediately start crying and then panic will activate.

"To others it appears as if I'm being oversensitive and melodramatic, but it's tough to describe if you haven't felt it."

A Few Techniques to Handle It

For those affected then there are various strategies you can try to cope the situation, as suggested by experts.

1. Visualise a Different Scenario: Imagination is crucial. Try to associate the triggering sound causing distress with something completely different. So for example, try to envision someone's slurping is just a gentle stream. This technique is to retrain your mind that the sound triggering you is neutral.
2. Use Humor: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a competition with the culprit. For example, if someone is eating noisily try copying the noise. Through participation, instead of feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an engaged person. And the game aspect should help shift your attention and make you slightly more tolerant.
3. Develop a Narrative: A further strategy is to try to invent a reason about why the person creating the sound is behaving that way. For example if someone was sniffing, it could be that they're not at their best or maybe they're upset. The idea is changing the meaning of the sound. While the sound doesn't change, your understanding of it changes from being aggravating, to feeling a little more neutral about it.