Christmas Transforms Into a Living Hell for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.

A 23-year-old is looking forward to being with her loved ones this Christmas, but says a key strategy she'll endure is by wearing her noise-cancelling devices - especially during the main festive feast.

In her case, Christmas can be a particularly difficult period as the noises of family members munching, slurping and nose-blowing trigger intense distress.

"I get this wave of immediate anxiety, my entire being will just freeze and it feels like I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to manage these triggers."

The individual has suffered from sound sensitivity from a young age and for her that makes the holiday period "incredibly overwhelming".

Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to certain sounds, particularly those made by those around you.

The condition is widespread across the population. A study reported nearly 20% people suffer from it.

Typically it's noises linked to mouth, throat or facial movements that lead to discomfort, as well as examples such as crunching, heavy breathing, and pen clicking.

'Anxiety Inducing'

She explains: "You encounter so many various auditory triggers at Christmas and that can be stressful and make you dread it.

"My relatives are aware, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a constant struggle of enduring my distress to ensure the event goes smoothly."

So it's obvious why the supposedly joyous time of the year can transform into a source of agony for sufferers.

Noises that may seem harmless, like someone sipping a beverage, unwrapping gifts, or eating the holiday meal can provoke a powerful reaction that can even result in them withdrawing from gatherings.

She, a young adult, who has experienced misophonia since aged 10, says the approach she intends to use is to use headphones to cope. Typically, she would usually isolate herself in a different room to avoid distressing triggers.

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

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

"The sensation is this intense irritation takes hold, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel anxious and burst into tears and then fight-or-flight will activate.

"It may seem as if I'm being unreasonable and melodramatic, but it's tough to describe unless you've experienced it."

Several Strategies to Handle It

For those affected then there are some different techniques you can try to cope the situation, based on advice from experts.

1. Imagine a Different Scenario: Creative thinking is crucial. Work on connecting the triggering sound affecting you with something completely different. For instance, try to envision someone's noisy drinking is just a sink draining water. The goal is to teach your brain that the sound triggering you isn't harmful.
2. Use Humor: Introduce playfulness and turn the annoying sound into a challenge involving the source. As an example, if someone is eating noisily try joining in. By joining in, rather than feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an active participant. And the challenge should help distract your brain and make you slightly more tolerant.
3. Create a Scenario: A further strategy is to try to fabricate an explanation about why the person making the noise is doing it. So if someone was sniffing, maybe they are not at their best or maybe they're upset. This approach is altering the perception of the sound. While the sound remains identical, your reaction of it moves from being irritating, to feeling a little more neutral about it.