Yuletide Often Proves to Be a Living Hell for Those with Misophonia.

A 23-year-old is looking forward to being with her relatives over the holidays, but admits a key strategy she'll manage to get through it is by using her hearing protection - notably for Christmas dinner.

For her, Christmas can be a especially challenging period as the sounds of people eating, slurping and sniffling make her feel intense distress.

"There's this wave of immediate anxiety, my every muscle will just tense up and it seems as if I'm in danger, and I need to somehow control these triggers."

Lottie has suffered from sound sensitivity for several years and for her that causes the holiday period "exceptionally stressful".

Misophonia is a decreased threshold to certain sounds, especially noises coming from individuals.

It is prevalent in the UK. A study reported nearly 20% people experience it.

Typically it's sounds associated with eating or drinking that cause distress, along with examples such as crunching, heavy breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.

Triggering Stress

Lottie says: "There are so many various auditory triggers at Christmas and that can be daunting and make you fear it.

"Those close to me are aware, but I'm very aware that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a constant struggle of sacrificing my own sanity to ensure everyone else is happy."

So it's easy to understand why the traditionally happy time of the year can transform into a source of agony for those with the condition.

Sounds that may appear innocuous, like someone drinking champagne, unwrapping gifts, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can trigger a powerful reaction that can even result in them skipping events entirely.

The student, a university student, who has experienced sound sensitivity from childhood, states the approach she intends to use is to use headphones to cope. Typically, she would frequently go in a quiet area to escape problematic noises.

She notes her condition is more pronounced around people she's closest to, so the holidays is always "hard".

"There is pressure to socialize with loved ones, and I desire to, but it's draining.

"The sensation is this intense irritation comes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel anxious and begin to weep and then the stress response will kick in.

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

Three Ways to Handle It

For those affected then there are various strategies you can use to handle the situation, according to specialists.

1. Visualise Something Else: Creative thinking is essential. Attempt to link the particular sound causing distress with something completely different. So for example, try to envision someone's slurping is just a waterfall. By doing this is to teach your brain that the sound triggering you isn't harmful.
2. Try a Competition: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a game involving the source. For instance, if someone is crunching loudly try joining in. By mimicking, rather than feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an active participant. And the challenge should help distract your brain and make you a little less affected.
3. Create a Scenario: Another technique is to try to invent a reason about why the person making the noise is having to make that sound. Imagine if someone was making a nasal sound, it could be that they're not at their best or maybe they're upset. By doing this is re-framing the context of the sound. Even though the sound stays the same, your reaction of it shifts from being annoying, to feeling a little more neutral towards it.