Christmas Often Proves to Be a Terrifying Experience for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.

One young woman anticipates seeing her family during the festive period, but admits a key strategy she'll endure is by wearing her noise-cancelling devices - especially during the holiday meal.

In her case, this time of year is a especially challenging time as the sounds of other people chewing, drinking noisily and sniffling cause her profound anxiety.

"I get this feeling of instant dread, my whole body will just tighten and it feels like I'm in peril, and I need to stop these sounds."

She has experienced this condition since she was 16 and for her that renders the festive season "incredibly overwhelming".

Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to certain sounds, notably sounds coming from other people.

The condition is widespread across the population. Experts reported nearly 20% people are affected by it.

Typically it's sounds associated with bodily functions that cause distress, as well as things like crunching, heavy breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.

A Source of Dread

The sufferer notes: "There are so many different triggering sounds at the holidays and that can be stressful and make you fear it.

"My relatives are understanding, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to upset others. It's like a constant struggle of managing my symptoms to guarantee the event goes smoothly."

So it's clear why the traditionally happy period can rapidly become a living nightmare for affected individuals.

Triggers that may seem harmless, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, opening presents, or eating the holiday meal can trigger a strong emotional response that can even cause them skipping events entirely.

The student, a young adult, who has experienced misophonia from childhood, says her strategy is to listen to music to cope. Usually, she would usually isolate herself in a quiet area to minimize triggering sounds.

She says her sensitivity is more intense around people she's most familiar with, so Christmas is always "hard".

"There is pressure to be around loved ones, and I wish to, but it's exhausting on all levels.

"It's like this intense irritation takes hold, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel panicked and begin to weep and then panic will activate.

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

Three Ways to Cope

If you suffer then there are a few methods you can attempt to manage the situation, based on advice from experts.

1. Picture an Alternative: Imagination is essential. Work on connecting the particular sound causing distress with a neutral concept. So for example, try to imagine someone's slurping is just a waterfall. The goal is to retrain your mind that the sound affecting you isn't harmful.
2. Try a Competition: Have a bit of fun and turn the annoying sound into a game involving the source. For instance, if someone is crunching loudly have a go at mimicking the sound. Through participation, rather than feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an willing part. And the challenge should help redirect your focus and make you a little less affected.
3. Craft a Story: One more method is to try to create a little story about the reason someone making the noise is behaving that way. So if someone was making a nasal sound, perhaps they're not in good health or maybe they're upset. By doing this is changing the meaning of the sound. Even though the noise stays the same, your understanding of it changes from being irritating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate towards it.