The Holiday Season Often Proves to Be a Nightmare for Misophonia Sufferers.

One young woman is looking forward to spending time with her relatives over the holidays, but admits a key strategy she'll endure is by using her hearing protection - notably for Christmas dinner.

In her case, this time of year is a especially challenging period as the auditory triggers of family members munching, slurping and nose-blowing make her feel profound anxiety.

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

Lottie has experienced misophonia from a young age and for her that renders the festive season "exceptionally stressful".

Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to particular auditory triggers, particularly those made by individuals.

The condition is widespread in the UK. Researchers discovered nearly 20% people experience it.

Often it's noises linked to bodily functions that cause distress, along with things like chewing, heavy breathing, and foot tapping.

A Source of Dread

She explains: "I face so many assorted problematic noises at Christmas and that can be stressful and make you want to avoid it.

"Those close to me are understanding, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a internal conflict of sacrificing my own sanity to make sure everyone else is happy."

So it's obvious why the traditionally happy season can quickly turn into a stressful ordeal for those with the condition.

Noises that may be considered normal, like someone sipping a beverage, unwrapping gifts, or enjoying festive food can provoke a powerful reaction that can even cause them avoiding social settings altogether.

Jenna, a university student, who has dealt with misophonia from childhood, states her strategy is to put her earphones in to get through dinner. On any other day, she would often retreat in a separate space to minimize problematic noises.

She says her misophonia is more pronounced around people she's most comfortable with, so Christmas is always "challenging".

"People assume you to spend time with loved ones, and I want to, but it's exhausting on all levels.

"It's like this uncontrollable anger washes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel panicked and burst into tears and then panic will activate.

"To others it appears as if I'm being unreasonable and melodramatic, but it's hard to explain without firsthand experience."

A Few Techniques to Manage

For those affected then there are some different techniques you can attempt to manage the situation, as suggested by specialists.

1. Imagine a Different Scenario: Imagination is crucial. Attempt to link the specific noise causing distress with an unrelated image. So for example, try to picture someone's slurping is just a sink draining water. This technique is to retrain your mind that the sound affecting you isn't harmful.
2. Try a Competition: Introduce playfulness and turn the annoying sound into a challenge with the culprit. For instance, if someone is eating noisily try joining in. Through participation, rather than feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an engaged person. And the game aspect should help distract your brain and make you somewhat less sensitive.
3. Create a Scenario: Another technique is to try to fabricate an explanation about the reason someone making the noise is doing it. Imagine if someone was making a nasal sound, it could be that they're not feeling well or could be emotional. The idea is re-framing the context of the sound. Although the sound remains identical, your reaction of it changes from being annoying, to feeling a little more neutral about it.