Yuletide Can Be a Terrifying Experience for Misophonia Sufferers.

Lottie anticipates seeing her relatives over the holidays, but says a key strategy she'll manage to get through it is by using her hearing protection - notably for Christmas dinner.

For the 23-year-old, the holidays is a especially challenging period as the sounds of people eating, sipping loudly and sniffling cause her extremely uncomfortable.

"I experience this feeling of sudden panic, my every muscle will just tense up and it as though I'm in peril, and I need to stop these triggers."

She has lived with sound sensitivity since she was 16 and for her that causes the holiday period "incredibly overwhelming".

Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to certain sounds, notably sounds produced by other people.

It is prevalent across the population. A study found a significant portion of people suffer from it.

Typically it's sounds associated with mouth, throat or facial movements that trigger a reaction, including things like crunching, breathing, and pen clicking.

Triggering Stress

Lottie says: "You encounter so many various auditory triggers at the holidays and that can be anxiety inducing and make you fear it.

"My family are supportive, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a constant struggle of managing my symptoms to guarantee others enjoy themselves."

So it's easy to understand why the traditionally happy period can rapidly become a source of agony for affected individuals.

Noises that may seem harmless, like someone drinking champagne, unwrapping gifts, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can provoke a strong emotional response that can even lead to them avoiding social settings altogether.

The student, a university student, who has struggled with sound sensitivity since aged 10, states her strategy is to listen to music to cope. Usually, she would frequently go in a different room to escape problematic noises.

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

"There is pressure to spend time with family, and I desire to, but it's draining.

"I feel as if this intense irritation washes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel stressed and burst into tears and then fight-or-flight will kick in.

"It can come across as if I'm being difficult and melodramatic, but it's hard to explain without firsthand experience."

Several Strategies to Handle It

For those affected then there are various strategies you can try to cope the situation, based on advice from experts.

1. Imagine Something Else: Creative thinking is key. Attempt to link the triggering sound bothering you with an unrelated image. As an illustration, try to imagine someone's slurping is just a sink draining water. By doing this is to help your brain learn 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 example, if someone is crunching loudly attempt mimicking the sound. Through participation, instead of feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an willing part. And the competition element should help shift your attention and make you slightly more tolerant.
3. Craft a Story: A further strategy is to try to fabricate an explanation about the reason someone creating the sound is having to make that sound. For example if someone was making a nasal sound, perhaps they're not feeling well or maybe they're upset. This approach is changing the meaning of the sound. Although the sound doesn't change, your interpretation of it moves from being irritating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate towards it.