Yuletide Can Be a Living Hell for Misophonia Sufferers.

A 23-year-old anticipates being with her loved ones over the holidays, but says a key strategy she'll endure is by using her hearing protection - especially during Christmas dinner.

For the 23-year-old, this time of year often feels like a particularly difficult time as the sounds of other people chewing, slurping and nose-blowing trigger intense distress.

"There's this sensation of sudden panic, my entire being will just tighten and it feels like I'm in peril, and I need to somehow control these noises."

The individual has lived with sound sensitivity since she was 16 and for her that makes the holiday period "deeply taxing".

Misophonia is a decreased threshold to particular auditory triggers, especially noises produced by those around you.

It's surprisingly common across the population. Experts found nearly 20% people suffer from it.

Typically it's noises connected to eating or drinking that cause distress, including things like crunching, breathing, and pen clicking.

A Source of Dread

The sufferer notes: "There are so many various auditory triggers at the holidays and that can be stressful and make you fear it.

"My relatives are aware, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to upset others. It's like a internal conflict of sacrificing my own sanity to guarantee others enjoy themselves."

So it's clear why the most wonderful time of the year can quickly turn into a stressful ordeal for those with the condition.

Triggers that may appear innocuous, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, opening presents, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can provoke a strong emotional response that can even cause them skipping events entirely.

The student, a 21-year-old student, who has experienced sound sensitivity for over a decade, says currently her plan is to put her earphones in to manage the meal. On any other day, she would usually isolate herself in a different room to minimize distressing triggers.

She explains her condition is more intense around people she's most familiar with, so Christmas is always "difficult".

"People assume you to socialize with family, and I wish to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.

"I feel as if this sudden rage comes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel anxious and burst into tears and then panic will kick in.

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

A Few Techniques to Manage

If you suffer then there are various strategies you can try to cope the situation, as suggested by clinical psychologists.

1. Picture an Alternative: Imagination is essential. Attempt to link the triggering sound causing distress with something completely different. So for example, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a waterfall. This technique is to help your brain learn that the sound affecting you is neutral.
2. Use Humor: Have a bit of fun and make the irritating noise into a challenge with the culprit. As an example, if someone is eating noisily try joining in. By mimicking, instead of feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an active participant. And the challenge should help distract your brain and make you somewhat less sensitive.
3. Develop a Narrative: One more method is to try to invent a reason about the reason someone making the noise is doing it. So if someone was making a nasal sound, perhaps they're not feeling well or maybe they're upset. This approach is re-framing the context of the sound. Although the noise doesn't change, your interpretation of it shifts from being aggravating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate about it.