Yuletide Often Proves to Be a Living Hell for Misophonia Sufferers.

A 23-year-old is looking forward to being with her family over the holidays, but admits a primary method she'll cope is by relying on her hearing protection - especially during the main festive feast.

For the 23-year-old, this time of year is a notably tough period as the auditory triggers of family members munching, slurping and breathing heavily cause her profound anxiety.

"I get this sensation of immediate anxiety, my whole body will just freeze and it feels like I'm in peril, and I need to somehow control these triggers."

She has experienced misophonia since she was 16 and for her that renders the holiday period "deeply taxing".

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

The condition is widespread amongst adults. Experts found almost one in five people experience it.

Often it's noises connected to mouth, throat or facial movements that lead to discomfort, as well as things like chewing, heavy breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.

'Anxiety Inducing'

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

"My family are understanding, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a really big battle of sacrificing my own sanity to guarantee everyone else is happy."

So it's clear why the supposedly joyous season can transform into a stressful ordeal for those with the condition.

Sounds that may appear innocuous, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, unwrapping gifts, or enjoying festive food can provoke a powerful reaction that can even cause them skipping events entirely.

Jenna, a university student, who has dealt with misophonia from childhood, says currently her plan is to put her earphones in to cope. On any other day, she would frequently go in a different room to escape distressing triggers.

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

"There is pressure to be around family, and I wish to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.

"It's like this sudden rage washes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel stressed and immediately start crying and then fight-or-flight will kick in.

"To others it appears as if I'm being unreasonable and dramatic, but it's tough to describe unless you've experienced it."

Three Ways to Manage

For those affected then there are various strategies you can try to cope the situation, according to experts.

1. Visualise Something Else: Imagination is crucial. Work on connecting the triggering sound causing distress with an unrelated image. As an illustration, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a waterfall. This technique is to teach your brain that the sound affecting you isn't harmful.
2. Use Humor: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a competition with the culprit. As an example, if someone is eating noisily attempt copying the noise. By joining in, rather than feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an willing part. And the challenge should help distract your brain and make you somewhat less sensitive.
3. Create a Scenario: One more method is to try to create a little story about the reason someone making the noise is behaving that way. So if someone was making a nasal sound, it could be that they're not feeling well or are troubled. This approach is changing the meaning of the sound. Even though the sound stays the same, your understanding of it changes from being irritating, to feeling a little more neutral towards it.