Yuletide Can Be a Nightmare for Misophonia Sufferers.

One young woman hopes for seeing her loved ones during the festive period, but admits a primary method she'll manage to get through it is by wearing her noise-cancelling devices - particularly at Christmas dinner.

For her, the holidays often feels like a especially challenging season as the sounds of people eating, slurping and nose-blowing trigger profound anxiety.

"There's this feeling of instant dread, my every muscle will just tense up and it feels like I'm in danger, and I need to somehow control these sounds."

Lottie has experienced this condition since she was 16 and for her that causes the festive season "exceptionally stressful".

Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to specific noises, particularly those coming from those around you.

The condition is widespread in the UK. Experts found nearly 20% people experience it.

Often it's noises connected to mouth, throat or facial movements that trigger a reaction, as well as things like chewing, heavy breathing, and pen clicking.

'Anxiety Inducing'

Lottie says: "I face so many various auditory triggers at the holidays and that can be anxiety inducing and make you want to avoid it.

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

So it's easy to understand why the traditionally happy period can rapidly become a stressful ordeal for sufferers.

Noises that may appear innocuous, like someone sipping a beverage, unwrapping gifts, or eating the holiday meal can trigger a powerful reaction that can even result in them skipping events entirely.

She, a 21-year-old student, who has struggled with sound sensitivity for over a decade, says the approach she intends to use is to put her earphones in to get through dinner. Usually, she would usually isolate herself in a different room to avoid triggering sounds.

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

"There's an expectation to socialize with family, and I desire to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.

"It's like this sudden rage washes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel stressed and begin to weep and then panic will take over.

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

Three Ways to Handle It

If it's an issue then there are a few methods you can try to cope the situation, based on advice from specialists.

1. Picture Something Else: Creative thinking is key. Attempt to link the particular sound causing distress with something completely different. For instance, try to picture someone's noisy drinking is just a waterfall. The goal is to retrain your mind that the sound affecting you poses no threat.
2. Try a Competition: Use lightheartedness and turn the annoying sound into a challenge with the person. For instance, if someone is crunching loudly try joining in. By mimicking, instead of feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an engaged person. 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 invent a reason about why the person making the noise is behaving that way. So if someone was making a nasal sound, it could be that they're not in good health or are troubled. This approach is changing the meaning of the sound. Even though the sound stays the same, your understanding of it changes from being annoying, to feeling a bit more accepting towards it.