Christmas Often Proves to Be a Terrifying Experience for Misophonia Sufferers.

One young woman anticipates spending time with her relatives this Christmas, but admits a key strategy she'll endure is by wearing her earplugs - especially during Christmas dinner.

In her case, Christmas often feels like a notably tough season as the noises of family members munching, sipping loudly and sniffling make her feel intense distress.

"There's this wave of immediate anxiety, my entire being will just tense up and it feels like I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to somehow control these sounds."

The individual has suffered from this condition for several years and for her that makes the Christmas time "incredibly overwhelming".

Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to particular auditory triggers, notably sounds produced by other people.

It's surprisingly common amongst adults. A study reported a significant portion of people experience it.

Often it's noises associated with eating or drinking that cause distress, including things like chewing, heavy breathing, and foot tapping.

'Anxiety Inducing'

Lottie says: "There are so many various auditory triggers at Christmas and that can be daunting and make you fear it.

"My family are understanding, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a really big battle of enduring my distress to guarantee others enjoy themselves."

So it's clear why the most wonderful period can quickly turn into a stressful ordeal for affected individuals.

Triggers that may appear innocuous, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, opening presents, or eating the holiday meal can cause a strong emotional response that can even result in them withdrawing from gatherings.

The student, a 21-year-old student, who has dealt with misophonia since aged 10, explains the approach she intends to use is to put her earphones in to manage the meal. Usually, she would often retreat in a separate space to minimize triggering sounds.

She says her misophonia is worse around people she's most comfortable with, so Christmas is always "challenging".

"There is pressure to spend time with loved ones, and I want to, but it's exhausting on all levels.

"The sensation is this uncontrollable anger comes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel anxious and burst into tears and then panic will take over.

"It may seem as if I'm being oversensitive and melodramatic, but it's hard to explain without firsthand experience."

Several Strategies to Handle It

For those affected then there are a few methods you can try to cope the situation, according to experts.

1. Picture Something Else: Mental imagery is essential. Try to associate the triggering sound bothering you with an unrelated image. For instance, try to picture someone's noisy drinking is just a waterfall. This technique is to retrain your mind that the sound triggering you isn't harmful.
2. Use Humor: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a challenge with the culprit. For instance, if someone is eating noisily have a go at mimicking the sound. By joining in, instead of feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an active participant. And the game aspect should help redirect your focus and make you slightly more tolerant.
3. Create a Scenario: Another technique 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 at their best or are troubled. By doing this is re-framing the context of the sound. Even though the noise stays the same, your interpretation of it moves from being irritating, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.