Christmas Often Proves to Be a Nightmare for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.

One young woman anticipates spending time with her family during the festive period, but says a key strategy she'll endure is by wearing her noise-cancelling devices - especially during Christmas dinner.

In her case, Christmas is a especially challenging season as the sounds of family members munching, drinking noisily and nose-blowing trigger intense distress.

"I get this wave of sudden panic, my whole body will just freeze and it as though I'm in danger, and I need to manage these noises."

The individual has suffered from misophonia for several years and for her that causes the Christmas time "exceptionally stressful".

Misophonia is a decreased threshold to particular auditory triggers, notably sounds coming from individuals.

The condition is widespread in the UK. Researchers reported nearly 20% people suffer from it.

Often it's sounds connected to mouth, throat or facial movements that cause distress, including examples such as crunching, breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.

'Anxiety Inducing'

She explains: "I face so many assorted problematic noises at Christmas and that can be stressful and make you want to avoid it.

"Those close to me are aware, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a constant struggle of managing my symptoms to make sure others enjoy themselves."

So it's obvious why the supposedly joyous time of the year can rapidly become a stressful ordeal for those with the condition.

Noises that may appear innocuous, like someone drinking champagne, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or enjoying festive food can provoke a strong emotional response that can even cause them skipping events entirely.

Jenna, a university student, who has struggled with misophonia from childhood, explains the approach she intends to use is to use headphones to cope. Usually, she would usually isolate herself in a quiet area to escape problematic noises.

She says her misophonia is more intense around people she's closest to, so the holidays is always "hard".

"There's an expectation to socialize with loved ones, and I want to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.

"I feel as if this sudden rage washes over me, which can feel shameful, 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 unreasonable and melodramatic, but it's difficult to convey unless you've experienced it."

A Few Techniques to Manage

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

1. Picture a Different Scenario: Imagination is essential. Work on connecting the particular sound bothering you with something completely different. So for example, try to imagine someone's slurping is just a sink draining water. By doing this is to retrain your mind that the sound triggering you poses no threat.
2. Make it a Game: Use lightheartedness and turn the annoying sound into a challenge with the person. For instance, if someone is eating noisily attempt joining in. By joining in, rather than feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an engaged person. And the challenge should help shift your attention and make you a little less affected.
3. Craft a Story: A further strategy is to try to create a little story about the reason someone creating the sound is having to make that sound. So if someone was making a nasal sound, maybe they are not in good health or are troubled. This approach is changing the meaning of the sound. While the sound doesn't change, your understanding of it moves from being irritating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate about it.