Yuletide Can Be a Terrifying Experience for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.

A 23-year-old hopes for being with her loved ones over the holidays, but admits a primary method she'll endure is by using her noise-cancelling devices - notably for Christmas dinner.

In her case, this time of year often feels like a especially challenging time as the sounds of people eating, drinking noisily and nose-blowing cause her extremely uncomfortable.

"There's 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 noises."

She has lived with sound sensitivity for several years and for her that makes the festive season "exceptionally stressful".

Misophonia is a decreased threshold to particular auditory triggers, particularly those produced by other people.

It's surprisingly common across the population. A study found almost one in five people experience it.

Often it's noises associated with bodily functions that trigger a reaction, including examples such as crunching, breathing, and pen clicking.

A Source of Dread

She explains: "I face so many assorted problematic noises at Christmas and that can be daunting and make you dread it.

"Those close to me are aware, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to upset others. It's like a internal conflict of managing my symptoms to make sure others enjoy themselves."

So it's clear why the supposedly joyous time of the year can quickly turn into a living nightmare for affected individuals.

Noises that may be considered normal, like someone drinking champagne, unwrapping gifts, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can cause a visceral feeling that can even result in them withdrawing from gatherings.

The student, a university student, who has experienced misophonia from childhood, states the approach she intends to use is to use headphones to cope. On any other day, she would usually isolate herself in a quiet area to escape distressing triggers.

She says her misophonia is more intense around people she's closest to, so the holidays is always "challenging".

"People assume you to spend time with loved ones, and I desire to, but it's draining.

"I feel as if this sudden rage washes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel stressed and immediately start crying and then the stress response will kick in.

"To others it appears as if I'm being difficult and dramatic, but it's difficult to convey without firsthand experience."

A Few Techniques to Manage

If it's an issue then there are a few methods you can use to handle the situation, based on advice from clinical psychologists.

1. Picture a Different Scenario: Creative thinking is essential. Attempt to link the triggering sound bothering you with something completely different. As an illustration, try to envision someone's slurping is just a gentle stream. By doing this is to retrain your mind that the sound affecting you isn't harmful.
2. Make it a Game: Use lightheartedness and turn the annoying sound into a challenge involving the source. For instance, if someone is crunching loudly try copying the noise. By joining in, rather than feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an active participant. And the challenge should help shift your attention and make you somewhat less sensitive.
3. Create a Scenario: A further strategy is to try to create a little story about why the person creating the sound is having to make that sound. So if someone was making a nasal sound, perhaps they're not in good health or maybe they're upset. By doing this is re-framing the context of the sound. Although the noise stays the same, your understanding of it changes from being annoying, to feeling a bit more accepting towards it.