Christmas Transforms Into a Nightmare for Those with Misophonia.

One young woman is looking forward to spending time with her family this Christmas, but admits one of the only ways she'll endure is by wearing her earplugs - especially during the main festive feast.

In her case, Christmas often feels like a notably tough season as the noises of other people chewing, drinking noisily and sniffling make her feel profound anxiety.

"I experience this wave of immediate anxiety, my whole body will just tense up and it as though I'm in peril, and I need to manage these triggers."

She has experienced misophonia for several years and for her that makes the holiday period "incredibly overwhelming".

Misophonia is a decreased threshold to specific noises, particularly those produced by individuals.

It is prevalent amongst adults. Experts found nearly 20% people suffer from it.

Frequently it's sounds linked to mouth, throat or facial movements that lead to discomfort, including examples such as crunching, breathing, and foot tapping.

A Source of Dread

She explains: "You encounter so many different triggering sounds at the holidays and that can be anxiety inducing and make you fear it.

"My relatives are aware, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a really big battle of managing my symptoms to make sure others enjoy themselves."

So it's obvious why the supposedly joyous period can quickly turn into a living nightmare for those with the condition.

Triggers that may appear innocuous, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or eating the holiday meal can provoke a strong emotional response that can even cause them avoiding social settings altogether.

She, a young adult, who has dealt with sound sensitivity from childhood, explains her strategy is to use headphones to get through dinner. Typically, 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 the holidays is always "challenging".

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

"I feel as if this uncontrollable anger comes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel stressed and begin to weep and then panic will kick in.

"To others it appears as if I'm being difficult and dramatic, but it's hard to explain unless you've experienced it."

Three Ways to Cope

If it's an issue then there are some different techniques you can try to cope the situation, as suggested by clinical psychologists.

1. Imagine Something Else: Imagination is essential. Attempt to link the specific noise affecting you with something completely different. So for example, try to picture someone's noisy drinking is just a sink draining water. This technique is to help your brain learn that the sound affecting you is neutral.
2. Make it a Game: Introduce playfulness and turn the annoying sound into a game with the culprit. For example, if someone is crunching loudly attempt mimicking the sound. Through participation, rather than feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an engaged person. And the competition element should help shift your attention and make you somewhat less sensitive.
3. Develop a Narrative: A further strategy is to try to invent a reason about why the person creating the sound is having to make that sound. Imagine if someone was sniffing, perhaps they're not at their best or maybe they're upset. This approach is re-framing the context of the sound. Although the sound doesn't change, your interpretation of it moves from being aggravating, to feeling a little more neutral about it.