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

One young woman hopes for being with her family during the festive period, but notes one of the only ways she'll manage to get through it is by using her hearing protection - especially during the main festive feast.

For her, this time of year can be a particularly difficult period as the auditory triggers of family members munching, sipping loudly and breathing heavily cause her profound anxiety.

"I get this wave of sudden panic, my entire being will just freeze and it seems as if I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to stop these noises."

She has experienced sound sensitivity for several years and for her that causes the Christmas time "exceptionally stressful".

Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to particular auditory triggers, notably sounds made by individuals.

It is prevalent amongst adults. Experts reported nearly 20% people suffer from it.

Often it's sounds connected to bodily functions that cause distress, as well as examples such as chewing, heavy breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.

'Anxiety Inducing'

The sufferer notes: "There are so many various auditory triggers at the holidays and that can be stressful and make you fear it.

"Those close to me are understanding, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a constant struggle of enduring my distress to guarantee the event goes smoothly."

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

Sounds that may seem harmless, like someone sipping a beverage, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or enjoying festive food can provoke a strong emotional response that can even lead to them skipping events entirely.

Jenna, a 21-year-old student, who has dealt with sound sensitivity from childhood, states currently her plan is to use headphones to cope. Typically, she would frequently go in a different room to avoid problematic noises.

She says her sensitivity is worse around people she's closest to, so the holidays is always "challenging".

"People assume you to spend time with loved ones, and I wish to, but it's exhausting on all levels.

"I feel as if this uncontrollable anger comes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel stressed and immediately start crying and then the stress response will activate.

"It may seem as if I'm being difficult and dramatic, but it's tough to describe if you haven't felt it."

A Few Techniques to Handle It

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

1. Picture a Different Scenario: Mental imagery is key. Work on connecting the particular sound affecting you with something completely different. So for example, try to envision someone's slurping is just a gentle stream. The goal is to teach your brain that the sound triggering you poses no threat.
2. Use Humor: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a game involving the source. For instance, if someone is eating noisily have a go at copying the noise. Through participation, rather than feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an willing part. And the challenge should help redirect your focus and make you slightly more tolerant.
3. Create a Scenario: Another technique is to try to invent a reason about the reason someone making the noise is having to make that sound. Imagine if someone was sniffing, it could be that they're not in good health or are troubled. By doing this is altering the perception of the sound. Although the sound remains identical, your reaction of it changes from being aggravating, to feeling a bit more accepting towards it.