The Holiday Season Can Be a Terrifying Experience for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.

One young woman anticipates spending time with her relatives over the holidays, but says a primary method she'll cope is by using her earplugs - especially during the main festive feast.

For the 23-year-old, this time of year can be a especially challenging season as the sounds of people eating, sipping loudly and breathing heavily cause her intense distress.

"I get this wave of immediate anxiety, my entire being will just tense up and it feels like I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to stop these sounds."

The individual has lived with misophonia for several years and for her that causes the Christmas time "incredibly overwhelming".

Misophonia is a decreased threshold to particular auditory triggers, particularly those coming from individuals.

It is prevalent across the population. Experts found almost one in five people suffer from it.

Often it's noises linked to mouth, throat or facial movements that lead to discomfort, along with examples such as chewing, heavy breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.

Triggering Stress

The sufferer notes: "I face so many various auditory triggers at the holidays and that can be anxiety inducing and make you fear it.

"My relatives are supportive, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a internal conflict of managing my symptoms to make sure others enjoy themselves."

So it's easy to understand why the traditionally happy time of the year can quickly turn into a living nightmare for sufferers.

Triggers that may appear innocuous, like someone drinking champagne, opening presents, or enjoying festive food can trigger a visceral feeling that can even cause them withdrawing from gatherings.

She, a young adult, who has experienced sound sensitivity from childhood, states currently her plan is to listen to music to cope. Usually, she would often retreat in a different room to avoid triggering sounds.

She explains her condition is more pronounced around people she's closest to, so Christmas is always "hard".

"There's an expectation to spend time with family, and I want to, but it's draining.

"The sensation is this uncontrollable anger comes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel stressed and burst into tears and then panic will kick in.

"It may seem as if I'm being oversensitive and melodramatic, but it's hard to explain if you haven't felt it."

A Few Techniques to Manage

If it's an issue then there are some different techniques you can use to handle the situation, according to clinical psychologists.

1. Imagine Something Else: Creative thinking is essential. Attempt to link the specific noise bothering 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 is neutral.
2. Try a Competition: Have a bit of fun and make the irritating noise into a game involving the source. For instance, if someone is eating noisily try copying the noise. By joining in, rather than feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an active participant. And the game aspect should help shift your attention and make you somewhat less sensitive.
3. Develop a Narrative: A further strategy is to try to fabricate an explanation about why the person making the noise is having to make that sound. Imagine if someone was making a nasal sound, perhaps they're not at their best or maybe they're upset. The idea is re-framing the context of the sound. Although the noise remains identical, your understanding of it shifts from being irritating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate towards it.