Yuletide Transforms Into a Terrifying Experience for Those with Misophonia.

Lottie hopes for seeing her relatives over the holidays, but says a key strategy she'll cope is by using her hearing protection - particularly at Christmas dinner.

For the 23-year-old, the holidays often feels like a especially challenging time as the noises of family members munching, drinking noisily and sniffling trigger extremely uncomfortable.

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

Lottie has lived with sound sensitivity since she was 16 and for her that renders the holiday period "deeply taxing".

Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to specific noises, notably sounds made by those around you.

It is prevalent across the population. A study reported a significant portion of people are affected by it.

Often it's noises linked to eating or drinking that lead to discomfort, including examples such as crunching, heavy breathing, and foot tapping.

'Anxiety Inducing'

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

"My relatives are aware, but I'm very aware that I don't want to upset others. It's like a really big battle of enduring my distress to make sure others enjoy themselves."

So it's clear why the supposedly joyous period can rapidly become a living nightmare for sufferers.

Triggers that may be considered normal, like someone sipping a beverage, opening presents, or enjoying festive food can cause a powerful reaction that can even result in them withdrawing from gatherings.

She, a university student, who has dealt with misophonia since aged 10, explains her strategy is to put her earphones in to get through dinner. On any other day, she would frequently go in a quiet area to avoid triggering sounds.

She notes her sensitivity is more intense around people she's most familiar with, so Christmas is always "difficult".

"People assume you to be around loved ones, and I desire to, but it's exhausting on all levels.

"The sensation is this uncontrollable anger takes hold, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel panicked and burst into tears and then fight-or-flight will take over.

"It can come across as if I'm being oversensitive and dramatic, but it's difficult to convey if you haven't felt it."

Several Strategies to Handle It

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

1. Imagine Something Else: Creative thinking is crucial. Attempt to link the specific noise affecting you with an unrelated image. So for example, try to picture someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. By doing this is to retrain your mind that the sound triggering you is neutral.
2. Make it a Game: Have a bit of fun and turn the annoying sound into a competition with the culprit. For example, if someone is eating noisily have a go at mimicking the sound. Through participation, rather than feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an active participant. And the competition element should help redirect your focus and make you somewhat less sensitive.
3. Create a Scenario: A further strategy is to try to fabricate an explanation about the reason someone creating the sound is doing it. So if someone was making a nasal sound, perhaps they're not at their best or maybe they're upset. This approach is re-framing the context of the sound. While the sound stays the same, your understanding of it moves from being annoying, to feeling a little more neutral towards it.