Christmas Transforms Into a Nightmare for Misophonia Sufferers.

One young woman hopes for seeing her family over the holidays, but notes one of the only ways she'll manage to get through it is by relying on her hearing protection - notably for the main festive feast.

For her, Christmas often feels like a especially challenging time as the auditory triggers of other people chewing, drinking noisily and sniffling trigger extremely uncomfortable.

"There's this wave of instant dread, my every muscle will just tense up and it seems as if I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to manage these sounds."

Lottie has suffered from misophonia from a young age and for her that makes the festive season "incredibly overwhelming".

Misophonia is a decreased threshold to specific noises, particularly those coming from individuals.

The condition is widespread amongst adults. A study reported a significant portion of people suffer from it.

Typically it's noises associated with mouth, throat or facial movements that lead to discomfort, along with things like crunching, breathing, and foot tapping.

Triggering Stress

Lottie says: "There are so many different triggering sounds at Christmas and that can be stressful and make you dread it.

"My family are aware, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a internal conflict of managing my symptoms to ensure everyone else is happy."

So it's easy to understand why the most wonderful period can transform into a living nightmare for those with the condition.

Sounds that may be considered normal, like someone drinking champagne, 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.

The student, a university student, who has dealt with misophonia from childhood, says her strategy is to put her earphones in to get through dinner. On any other day, she would often retreat in a different room to avoid problematic noises.

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

"There's an expectation to spend time with family, and I want to, but it's draining.

"It's like this intense irritation takes hold, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel panicked and begin to weep and then the stress response will take over.

"It may seem as if I'm being unreasonable and overreacting, but it's difficult to convey if you haven't felt it."

Three Ways to Handle It

If you suffer then there are a few methods you can try to cope the situation, as suggested by clinical psychologists.

1. Imagine an Alternative: Imagination is crucial. Work on connecting the triggering sound bothering you with a neutral concept. As an illustration, try to envision someone's noisy drinking is just a sink draining water. This technique is to teach your brain that the sound triggering you isn't harmful.
2. Use Humor: Use lightheartedness and turn the annoying sound into a challenge involving the source. As an example, if someone is crunching loudly try copying the noise. By joining in, instead of feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an engaged person. And the competition element should help distract your brain and make you somewhat less sensitive.
3. Craft a Story: Another technique is to try to create a little story about the reason someone making the noise is behaving that way. For example if someone was making a nasal sound, maybe they are not in good health or maybe they're upset. This approach is re-framing the context of the sound. Even though the noise stays the same, your reaction of it shifts from being annoying, to feeling a little more neutral about it.