Christmas Often Proves to Be a Terrifying Experience for Those with Misophonia.

One young woman anticipates seeing her loved ones this Christmas, but notes one of the only ways she'll cope is by wearing her earplugs - especially during the holiday meal.

For the 23-year-old, this time of year is a especially challenging time as the noises of family members munching, drinking noisily and breathing heavily trigger extremely uncomfortable.

"There's this feeling of instant dread, my whole body will just tense up and it as though I'm in peril, and I need to stop these sounds."

Lottie has lived with misophonia from a young age and for her that renders the festive season "incredibly overwhelming".

Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to specific noises, notably sounds made by those around you.

It is prevalent across the population. A study discovered a significant portion of people suffer from it.

Typically it's noises associated with mouth, throat or facial movements that trigger a reaction, as well as things like chewing, heavy breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.

Triggering Stress

Lottie says: "I face so many various auditory triggers at Christmas and that can be anxiety inducing and make you dread it.

"My relatives are supportive, 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 everyone else is happy."

So it's obvious why the supposedly joyous time of the year can quickly turn into a living nightmare for sufferers.

Sounds that may seem harmless, like someone drinking champagne, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or enjoying festive food can provoke a strong emotional response that can even result in them skipping events entirely.

Jenna, a young adult, who has dealt with misophonia from childhood, explains her strategy is to listen to music to cope. Usually, she would usually isolate herself in a quiet area to escape triggering sounds.

She says her sensitivity is more pronounced around people she's most familiar with, so the holidays is always "difficult".

"There is pressure to be around family, and I wish to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.

"The sensation is this intense irritation comes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel anxious and immediately start crying and then panic will kick in.

"It can come across as if I'm being oversensitive and melodramatic, but it's hard to explain unless you've experienced it."

Three Ways to Handle It

If it's an issue then there are some different techniques you can use to handle the situation, as suggested by clinical psychologists.

1. Visualise an Alternative: Imagination is essential. Work on connecting the triggering sound affecting you with an unrelated image. So for example, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a waterfall. The goal is to help your brain learn that the sound triggering you isn't harmful.
2. Use Humor: Introduce playfulness and turn the annoying sound into a challenge with the person. For example, if someone is eating noisily try mimicking the sound. By joining in, rather than feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an active participant. And the game aspect should help shift your attention and make you a little less affected.
3. Craft a Story: Another technique is to try to fabricate an explanation about the reason someone creating the sound is behaving that way. So if someone was sniffing, it could be that they're not feeling well or are troubled. This approach is altering the perception of the sound. While the sound stays the same, your interpretation of it shifts from being irritating, to feeling a little more neutral about it.