The Holiday Season Often Proves to Be a Living Hell for Those with Misophonia.

A 23-year-old anticipates spending time with her relatives over the holidays, but admits a primary method she'll endure is by relying on her earplugs - especially during Christmas dinner.

For her, Christmas is a especially challenging time as the auditory triggers of people eating, drinking noisily and breathing heavily trigger extremely uncomfortable.

"There's this wave of immediate anxiety, my every muscle will just tighten and it feels like I'm in peril, and I need to manage these triggers."

Lottie has suffered from sound sensitivity since she was 16 and for her that renders the festive season "deeply taxing".

Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to particular auditory triggers, especially noises made by those around you.

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

Typically it's noises linked to eating or drinking that lead to discomfort, along with things like crunching, breathing, and foot tapping.

Triggering Stress

Lottie says: "There are so many different triggering sounds at Christmas and that can be anxiety inducing and make you fear it.

"My family are supportive, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a internal conflict of sacrificing my own sanity to guarantee everyone else is happy."

So it's obvious why the most wonderful period can transform into a source of agony for sufferers.

Noises that may seem harmless, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, unwrapping gifts, or eating the holiday meal can cause a strong emotional response that can even cause them skipping events entirely.

Jenna, a young adult, who has struggled with sound sensitivity since aged 10, states the approach she intends to use is to use headphones to manage the meal. Typically, she would frequently go in a quiet area to avoid triggering sounds.

She notes her misophonia is more intense around people she's most comfortable with, so the holidays is always "difficult".

"There's an expectation to socialize with family, and I desire to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.

"It's like this intense irritation comes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel panicked and burst into tears and then fight-or-flight will kick in.

"It can come across as if I'm being difficult and overreacting, but it's difficult to convey unless you've experienced it."

Three Ways to Handle It

If it's an issue then there are various strategies you can use to handle the situation, according to experts.

1. Imagine an Alternative: Imagination is crucial. Attempt to link the specific noise affecting you with a neutral concept. So for example, try to picture someone's noisy drinking is just a sink draining water. The goal is to help your brain learn that the sound affecting you isn't harmful.
2. Make it a Game: Use lightheartedness and make the irritating noise into a challenge with the culprit. As an example, if someone is eating noisily attempt copying the noise. By mimicking, rather than feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an engaged person. And the game aspect should help redirect your focus and make you slightly more tolerant.
3. Craft a Story: A further strategy is to try to fabricate an explanation about why the person making the noise is having to make that sound. For example if someone was sniffing, perhaps they're not in good health or could be emotional. This approach is re-framing the context of the sound. Even though the sound doesn't change, your understanding of it shifts from being aggravating, to feeling a little more neutral towards it.