The Holiday Season Can Be a Living Hell for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.

One young woman anticipates being with her relatives this Christmas, but admits a primary method she'll endure is by using her earplugs - particularly at Christmas dinner.

For her, the holidays can be a especially challenging season as the noises of family members munching, sipping loudly and nose-blowing make her feel profound anxiety.

"I experience this sensation of immediate anxiety, my every muscle will just tighten and it seems as if I'm in peril, and I need to stop these noises."

She has lived with misophonia since she was 16 and for her that renders the festive season "deeply taxing".

Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to specific noises, especially noises coming from those around you.

It is prevalent across the population. A study reported a significant portion of people suffer from it.

Typically it's sounds associated with mouth, throat or facial movements that trigger a reaction, including things like chewing, breathing, and foot tapping.

Triggering Stress

She explains: "I face so many assorted problematic noises at the holidays and that can be stressful and make you dread it.

"My family are understanding, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a internal conflict of sacrificing my own sanity to guarantee others enjoy themselves."

So it's obvious why the traditionally happy season can rapidly become a source of agony for sufferers.

Triggers that may be considered normal, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can cause a powerful reaction that can even result in them skipping events entirely.

She, a 21-year-old student, who has experienced misophonia since aged 10, says her strategy is to listen to music to cope. On any other day, she would usually isolate herself in a separate space to avoid distressing triggers.

She notes her misophonia is more intense around people she's most comfortable with, so the holidays is always "hard".

"There's an expectation to socialize with family, 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 stressed and burst into tears and then panic will activate.

"It may seem as if I'm being oversensitive and overreacting, but it's difficult to convey unless you've experienced it."

A Few Techniques to Cope

If you suffer then there are some different techniques you can use to handle the situation, as suggested by clinical psychologists.

1. Picture Something Else: Mental imagery is essential. Try to associate the specific noise affecting you with an unrelated image. For instance, try to envision someone's slurping is just a gentle stream. This technique is to help your brain learn that the sound triggering you poses no threat.
2. Try a Competition: Have a bit of fun and make the irritating noise into a game involving the source. As an example, if someone is crunching loudly try mimicking the sound. By joining in, rather than feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an engaged person. And the competition element should help distract your brain and make you slightly more tolerant.
3. Create a Scenario: A further strategy is to try to invent a reason about why the person creating the sound is having to make that sound. So 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. Although the sound remains identical, your interpretation of it shifts from being irritating, to feeling a bit more accepting towards it.