Christmas Transforms Into a Nightmare for Misophonia Sufferers.

One young woman is looking forward to spending time with her relatives during the festive period, but says a primary method she'll endure is by wearing her earplugs - notably for the holiday meal.

For the 23-year-old, this time of year is a especially challenging time as the auditory triggers of people eating, sipping loudly and breathing heavily cause her extremely uncomfortable.

"I experience this feeling of immediate anxiety, my entire being will just freeze and it seems as if I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to manage these sounds."

Lottie has lived with misophonia since she was 16 and for her that makes the holiday period "exceptionally stressful".

Misophonia is a decreased threshold to particular auditory triggers, especially noises coming from other people.

The condition is widespread across the population. Researchers found nearly 20% people suffer from it.

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

'Anxiety Inducing'

She explains: "You encounter so many various auditory triggers at Christmas and that can be stressful and make you fear it.

"My family are aware, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a really big battle of enduring my distress to guarantee everyone else is happy."

So it's clear why the most wonderful season can quickly turn into a source of agony for those with the condition.

Noises that may appear innocuous, like someone sipping a beverage, opening presents, or eating the holiday meal can cause a powerful reaction that can even cause them withdrawing from gatherings.

Jenna, a young adult, who has struggled with misophonia for over a decade, states currently her plan is to put her earphones in to cope. Typically, she would usually isolate herself in a different room to minimize distressing triggers.

She explains her condition is worse around people she's most comfortable with, so the holidays is always "hard".

"People assume you to socialize with family, and I want to, but it's exhausting on all levels.

"The sensation is this intense irritation washes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel stressed and begin to weep and then fight-or-flight will activate.

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

A Few Techniques to Manage

For those affected then there are some different techniques you can attempt to manage the situation, based on advice from clinical psychologists.

1. Visualise an Alternative: Imagination is essential. Try to associate the specific noise affecting you with an unrelated image. As an illustration, try to picture someone's slurping is just a waterfall. By doing this is to help your brain learn that the sound affecting you poses no threat.
2. Make it a Game: Use lightheartedness and make the irritating noise into a game involving the source. For example, if someone is eating noisily have a go at mimicking the sound. By mimicking, rather than feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an active participant. And the competition element should help redirect your focus and make you slightly more tolerant.
3. Create a Scenario: Another technique is to try to fabricate an explanation about the reason someone creating the sound is having to make that sound. Imagine if someone was sniffing, it could be that they're not at their best or could be emotional. The idea is re-framing the context of the sound. Even though the noise stays the same, your interpretation of it changes from being annoying, to feeling a slightly more compassionate towards it.