The Holiday Season Can Be a Terrifying Experience for Those with Misophonia.

One young woman hopes for spending time with her relatives this Christmas, but says a key strategy she'll endure is by relying on her earplugs - especially during Christmas dinner.

In her case, this time of year can be a especially challenging time as the noises of family members munching, slurping and sniffling cause her extremely uncomfortable.

"I experience this wave of instant dread, my entire being will just tighten and it feels like I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to manage these triggers."

She has suffered from misophonia from a young age and for her that causes the Christmas time "deeply taxing".

Misophonia is a decreased threshold to particular auditory triggers, notably sounds coming from those around you.

The condition is widespread across the population. Experts discovered a significant portion of people suffer from it.

Often it's noises connected to bodily functions that cause distress, along with things like crunching, breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.

Triggering Stress

The sufferer notes: "I face so many assorted problematic noises at Christmas and that can be stressful and make you dread it.

"My relatives are aware, but I'm very aware that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a really big battle of sacrificing my own sanity to make sure others enjoy themselves."

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

Triggers that may seem harmless, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, unwrapping gifts, or eating the holiday meal can provoke a powerful reaction that can even cause them skipping events entirely.

Jenna, a university student, who has struggled with misophonia for over a decade, says her strategy is to listen to music to cope. Typically, she would often retreat in a separate space to avoid problematic noises.

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

"There's an expectation to socialize with family, and I desire to, but it's exhausting on all levels.

"The sensation is this intense irritation washes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel anxious and immediately start crying and then fight-or-flight will activate.

"It may seem as if I'm being difficult and melodramatic, but it's difficult to convey without firsthand experience."

A Few Techniques to Manage

For those affected then there are a few methods you can use to handle the situation, according to clinical psychologists.

1. Imagine Something Else: Imagination is essential. Try to associate the particular sound causing distress with something completely different. So for example, try to picture someone's noisy drinking is just a sink draining water. The goal is to help your brain learn that the sound triggering you poses no threat.
2. Try a Competition: Introduce playfulness and turn the annoying sound into a challenge with the person. As an example, if someone is crunching loudly attempt joining in. By joining in, instead of feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an active participant. And the game aspect should help distract your brain and make you a little less affected.
3. Craft a Story: Another technique is to try to create a little story about why the person making the noise is doing it. Imagine if someone was making a nasal sound, it could be that they're not at their best or maybe they're upset. This approach is altering the perception of the sound. Although the noise remains identical, your understanding of it changes from being aggravating, to feeling a little more neutral about it.