Christmas Transforms Into a Terrifying Experience for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.

A 23-year-old anticipates spending time with her relatives during the festive period, but notes a key strategy she'll endure is by relying on her noise-cancelling devices - especially during the holiday meal.

In her case, Christmas often feels like a particularly difficult period as the auditory triggers of other people chewing, drinking noisily and nose-blowing cause her extremely uncomfortable.

"I experience this wave of instant dread, my every muscle will just tighten and it as though I'm in peril, and I need to manage these sounds."

The individual has suffered from this condition for several years and for her that causes the Christmas time "deeply taxing".

Misophonia is a decreased threshold to certain sounds, particularly those made by individuals.

It is prevalent across the population. Researchers found a significant portion of people are affected by it.

Typically it's noises connected to eating or drinking that cause distress, as well as things like chewing, breathing, and foot tapping.

A Source of Dread

The sufferer notes: "I face so many different triggering sounds at the holidays and that can be stressful and make you want to avoid it.

"My relatives are supportive, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a internal conflict of sacrificing my own sanity to make sure the event goes smoothly."

So it's easy to understand why the traditionally happy period can rapidly become a living nightmare for affected individuals.

Noises that may appear innocuous, like someone sipping a beverage, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or enjoying festive food can provoke a visceral feeling that can even cause them withdrawing from gatherings.

She, a 21-year-old student, who has experienced sound sensitivity for over a decade, explains her strategy is to listen to music to manage the meal. Typically, she would often retreat in a quiet area to escape distressing triggers.

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

"People assume you to spend time with loved ones, and I desire to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.

"I feel as if this intense irritation takes hold, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel stressed and burst into tears and then panic will take over.

"To others it appears as if I'm being difficult and overreacting, but it's tough to describe if you haven't felt it."

A Few Techniques to Manage

If it's an issue then there are a few methods you can try to cope the situation, according to clinical psychologists.

1. Visualise a Different Scenario: Creative thinking is key. Work on connecting the particular sound affecting you with an unrelated image. For instance, try to envision someone's noisy drinking is just a sink draining water. This technique is to retrain your mind that the sound affecting you poses no threat.
2. Make it a Game: Have a bit of fun and turn the annoying sound into a challenge involving the source. For instance, if someone is crunching loudly try mimicking the sound. By mimicking, rather than feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an active participant. And the challenge should help shift your attention and make you somewhat less sensitive.
3. Create a Scenario: A further strategy is to try to fabricate an explanation about the reason someone making the noise is behaving that way. For example if someone was sniffing, it could be that they're not in good health or maybe they're upset. This approach is altering the perception of the sound. Even though the noise remains identical, your interpretation of it moves from being aggravating, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.