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

A 23-year-old is looking forward to being with her family over the holidays, but says a primary method she'll manage to get through it is by relying on her noise-cancelling devices - particularly at the holiday meal.

For the 23-year-old, Christmas often feels like a particularly difficult season as the noises of family members munching, sipping loudly and sniffling make her feel intense distress.

"There's this wave of sudden panic, my entire being will just tighten and it seems as if I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to somehow control these sounds."

The individual has lived with this condition for several years and for her that renders the festive season "incredibly overwhelming".

Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to particular auditory triggers, particularly those produced by other people.

The condition is widespread across the population. Researchers reported a significant portion of people experience it.

Frequently it's noises associated with eating or drinking that trigger a reaction, including things like crunching, heavy breathing, and pen clicking.

'Anxiety Inducing'

She explains: "You encounter so many different triggering sounds at Christmas and that can be stressful and make you dread it.

"Those close to me are supportive, but I'm very aware that I don't want to upset others. It's like a internal conflict of enduring my distress to guarantee others enjoy themselves."

So it's easy to understand why the supposedly joyous season can rapidly become a source of agony for affected individuals.

Sounds that may appear innocuous, like someone sipping a beverage, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or eating the holiday meal can trigger a visceral feeling that can even lead to them avoiding social settings altogether.

The student, a 21-year-old student, who has experienced misophonia since aged 10, states currently her plan is to use headphones to cope. Typically, she would frequently go in a different room to avoid distressing triggers.

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

"There is pressure to socialize with loved ones, and I want to, but it's draining.

"It's like this intense irritation comes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel anxious and immediately start crying and then fight-or-flight will take over.

"It may seem as if I'm being difficult and melodramatic, but it's tough to describe without firsthand experience."

Several Strategies to Manage

For those affected then there are some different techniques you can try to cope the situation, as suggested by experts.

1. Visualise a Different Scenario: Creative thinking is key. Work on connecting the specific noise affecting you with something completely different. For instance, try to picture someone's noisy drinking is just a sink draining water. By doing this is to retrain your mind that the sound affecting you isn't harmful.
2. Try a Competition: Use lightheartedness and make the irritating noise into a competition with the person. For example, if someone is eating noisily attempt copying the noise. By joining in, rather than feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an engaged person. And the game aspect should help shift your attention and make you a little less affected.
3. Craft a Story: A further strategy is to try to fabricate an explanation about why the person creating the sound is doing it. So if someone was making a nasal sound, perhaps they're not feeling well or maybe they're upset. This approach is re-framing the context of the sound. Although the noise remains identical, your interpretation of it changes from being annoying, to feeling a slightly more compassionate towards it.