Christmas Transforms Into a Terrifying Experience for Those with Misophonia.

A 23-year-old anticipates being with her loved ones over the holidays, but notes one of the only ways she'll manage to get through it is by relying on her earplugs - notably for the holiday meal.

For the 23-year-old, this time of year is a notably tough time as the sounds of people eating, drinking noisily and nose-blowing make her feel intense distress.

"I get this wave of instant dread, my entire being will just tighten and it seems as if I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to stop these sounds."

She has lived with misophonia from a young age and for her that makes the Christmas time "incredibly overwhelming".

Misophonia is a decreased threshold to certain sounds, notably sounds coming from those around you.

The condition is widespread amongst adults. Experts found almost one in five people experience it.

Typically it's noises connected to eating or drinking that cause distress, as well as examples such as chewing, breathing, and pen clicking.

A Source of Dread

Lottie says: "You encounter so many different triggering sounds at Christmas and that can be daunting and make you want to avoid it.

"My family are understanding, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a really big battle of sacrificing my own sanity to make sure the event goes smoothly."

So it's easy to understand why the supposedly joyous period can transform into a source of agony for affected individuals.

Triggers that may be considered normal, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, opening presents, or enjoying festive food can cause a powerful reaction that can even lead to them skipping events entirely.

Jenna, a university student, who has experienced misophonia since aged 10, explains the approach she intends to use is to put her earphones in to get through dinner. On any other day, she would frequently go in a separate space to escape problematic noises.

She explains her misophonia is worse around people she's most comfortable with, so Christmas is always "hard".

"There is pressure to be around family, and I desire to, but it's exhausting on all levels.

"I feel as if this sudden rage washes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel panicked and immediately start crying and then panic will take over.

"It may seem as if I'm being unreasonable and overreacting, but it's difficult to convey unless you've experienced it."

Three Ways to Cope

For those affected then there are a few methods you can try to cope the situation, according to specialists.

1. Visualise Something Else: Creative thinking is key. Work on connecting the particular sound affecting you with a neutral concept. As an illustration, try to picture someone's slurping is just a sink draining water. The goal is to teach your brain that the sound affecting you isn't harmful.
2. Make it a Game: Introduce playfulness and turn the annoying sound into a competition with the culprit. For instance, if someone is crunching loudly try copying the noise. Through participation, instead of feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an engaged person. And the competition element should help distract your brain and make you a little less affected.
3. Create a Scenario: One more method is to try to create a little story about why the person making the noise is having to make that sound. For example if someone was sniffing, it could be that they're not feeling well or are troubled. By doing this is changing the meaning of the sound. While the sound doesn't change, your interpretation of it shifts from being annoying, to feeling a little more neutral about it.