Christmas Transforms Into a Living Hell for Those with Misophonia.

A 23-year-old is looking forward to seeing her family during the festive period, but notes a key strategy she'll endure is by wearing her noise-cancelling devices - notably for the holiday meal.

In her case, this time of year often feels like a particularly difficult season as the sounds of family members munching, sipping loudly and sniffling make her feel extremely uncomfortable.

"I get this feeling of immediate anxiety, my every muscle will just tense up and it as though I'm in peril, and I need to manage these noises."

The individual has experienced misophonia from a young age and for her that causes the Christmas time "deeply taxing".

Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to specific noises, particularly those coming from those around you.

It is prevalent across the population. A study reported almost one in five people suffer from it.

Often it's sounds linked to eating or drinking that lead to discomfort, including things like chewing, breathing, and pen clicking.

Triggering Stress

The sufferer notes: "I face so many assorted problematic noises at Christmas and that can be daunting and make you dread it.

"Those close to me are aware, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to upset others. It's like a constant struggle of enduring my distress to ensure others enjoy themselves."

So it's easy to understand why the most wonderful time of the year can rapidly become a stressful ordeal 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 trigger a strong emotional response that can even cause them skipping events entirely.

Jenna, a young adult, who has experienced misophonia for over a decade, says the approach she intends to use is to listen to music to manage the meal. On any other day, she would frequently go in a quiet area to escape problematic noises.

She notes her sensitivity is worse around people she's closest to, so Christmas is always "challenging".

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

"It's like this uncontrollable anger takes hold, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel stressed and immediately start crying and then the stress response will take over.

"It may seem as if I'm being unreasonable and overreacting, but it's hard to explain if you haven't felt it."

Several Strategies to Manage

If it's an issue then there are some different techniques you can try to cope the situation, as suggested by specialists.

1. Visualise a Different Scenario: Creative thinking is key. Attempt to link the particular sound causing distress with a neutral concept. For instance, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a waterfall. The goal is to teach your brain that the sound triggering you isn't harmful.
2. Use Humor: Use lightheartedness and make the irritating noise into a challenge with the person. For example, if someone is eating noisily attempt copying the noise. By mimicking, instead of feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an willing part. And the challenge should help shift your attention and make you a little less affected.
3. Develop a Narrative: A further strategy is to try to invent a reason about the reason someone making the noise is doing it. For example if someone was making a nasal sound, maybe they are not feeling well or are troubled. By doing this is re-framing the context of the sound. While the sound remains identical, your understanding of it moves from being irritating, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.