The Holiday Season Transforms Into a Living Hell for Those with Misophonia.

Lottie is looking forward to seeing her loved ones over the holidays, but admits a key strategy she'll manage to get through it is by using her noise-cancelling devices - especially during Christmas dinner.

In her case, Christmas is a notably tough period as the sounds of family members munching, slurping and breathing heavily make her feel profound anxiety.

"I get this wave of instant dread, my whole body will just freeze and it feels like I'm in peril, and I need to stop these triggers."

Lottie has lived with sound sensitivity from a young age and for her that makes the festive season "exceptionally stressful".

Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to specific noises, notably sounds produced by other people.

It's surprisingly common across the population. Experts found nearly 20% people suffer from it.

Typically it's sounds linked to eating or drinking that trigger a reaction, along with things like chewing, breathing, and pen clicking.

'Anxiety Inducing'

The sufferer notes: "There are so many different triggering sounds at Christmas and that can be daunting and make you dread it.

"Those close to me are supportive, but I'm very aware that I don't want to upset others. It's like a internal conflict of managing my symptoms to guarantee everyone else is happy."

So it's easy to understand why the supposedly joyous season can quickly turn into a stressful ordeal for affected individuals.

Noises that may be considered normal, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, opening presents, or eating the holiday meal can cause a visceral feeling that can even cause them avoiding social settings altogether.

She, a young adult, who has struggled with sound sensitivity from childhood, says the approach she intends to use is to use headphones to cope. Usually, she would often retreat in a separate space to minimize problematic noises.

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

"People assume you to be around family, and I want to, but it's exhausting on all levels.

"The sensation is this uncontrollable anger washes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel anxious and burst into tears and then the stress response will take over.

"It can come across as if I'm being unreasonable and overreacting, but it's tough to describe if you haven't felt it."

Three Ways to Handle It

For those affected then there are some different techniques you can use to handle the situation, based on advice from specialists.

1. Imagine a Different Scenario: Creative thinking is key. Attempt to link the particular sound bothering you with an unrelated image. As an illustration, try to imagine someone's slurping is just a waterfall. The goal is to teach your brain that the sound affecting you is neutral.
2. Try a Competition: Use lightheartedness and make the irritating noise into a game involving the source. As an example, if someone is eating noisily attempt mimicking the sound. By mimicking, instead of feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an active participant. And the game aspect should help distract your brain and make you slightly more tolerant.
3. Craft a Story: A further strategy is to try to create a little story about why the person making the noise is doing it. Imagine if someone was sniffing, it could be that they're not in good health or are troubled. The idea is changing the meaning of the sound. Although the sound doesn't change, your interpretation of it shifts from being irritating, to feeling a little more neutral towards it.