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

A 23-year-old anticipates seeing her family during the festive period, but admits a primary method she'll endure is by wearing her noise-cancelling devices - particularly at Christmas dinner.

For the 23-year-old, this time of year often feels like a especially challenging time as the auditory triggers of people eating, sipping loudly and sniffling cause her profound anxiety.

"There's this feeling of sudden panic, my every muscle will just tighten and it feels like I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to stop these sounds."

She has experienced sound sensitivity for several years and for her that causes the Christmas time "deeply taxing".

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

It's surprisingly common in the UK. Researchers reported nearly 20% people suffer from it.

Often it's noises connected to eating or drinking that lead to discomfort, including examples such as chewing, heavy breathing, and foot tapping.

A Source of Dread

The sufferer notes: "I face 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 aware that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a internal conflict of enduring my distress to ensure others enjoy themselves."

So it's obvious why the traditionally happy season can rapidly become a stressful ordeal for those with the condition.

Triggers that may seem harmless, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, unwrapping gifts, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can cause a strong emotional response that can even result in them avoiding social settings altogether.

The student, a university student, who has struggled with sound sensitivity from childhood, says currently her plan is to put her earphones in to manage the meal. Usually, she would frequently go in a quiet area to minimize triggering sounds.

She explains her condition is more intense around people she's closest to, so Christmas is always "difficult".

"There is pressure to be around loved ones, and I desire to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.

"It's like this uncontrollable anger takes hold, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel anxious and begin to weep and then the stress response will kick in.

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

Several Strategies to Cope

If it's an issue then there are some different techniques you can use to handle the situation, based on advice from experts.

1. Picture a Different Scenario: Imagination is key. Work on connecting the specific noise causing distress with something completely different. So for example, try to envision someone's noisy drinking is just a sink draining water. By doing this is to retrain your mind that the sound triggering you is neutral.
2. Use Humor: Use lightheartedness and make the irritating noise into a challenge with the culprit. As an example, if someone is eating noisily have a go at joining in. Through participation, instead of feeling like the sound is unwanted, 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 behaving that way. So if someone was making a nasal sound, maybe they are not feeling well or could be emotional. By doing this is re-framing the context of the sound. While the sound remains identical, your interpretation of it changes from being aggravating, to feeling a little more neutral towards it.