Yuletide Often Proves to Be a Terrifying Experience for Those with Misophonia.

Lottie anticipates seeing her loved ones during the festive period, but notes a primary method she'll endure is by wearing her noise-cancelling devices - especially during Christmas dinner.

In her case, the holidays can be a particularly difficult time as the auditory triggers of people eating, sipping loudly and sniffling trigger intense distress.

"There's this wave of immediate anxiety, my whole body will just tighten and it as though I'm in danger, and I need to manage these triggers."

Lottie has suffered from sound sensitivity since she was 16 and for her that causes the festive season "deeply taxing".

Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to particular auditory triggers, especially noises produced by those around you.

It's surprisingly common across the population. Researchers found almost one in five people suffer from it.

Often it's noises connected to bodily functions that cause distress, including things like chewing, heavy breathing, and foot tapping.

Triggering Stress

Lottie says: "You encounter so many different triggering sounds at Christmas and that can be daunting and make you want to avoid it.

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

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

Sounds that may appear innocuous, like someone sipping a beverage, unwrapping gifts, or enjoying festive food can cause a visceral feeling that can even lead to them withdrawing from gatherings.

Jenna, a university student, who has dealt with misophonia from childhood, states her strategy is to use headphones to get through dinner. Typically, she would often retreat in a separate space to escape distressing triggers.

She notes her condition is more intense around people she's closest to, so Christmas is always "hard".

"There is pressure to be around loved ones, and I wish to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.

"It's like this sudden rage takes hold, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel stressed and begin to weep and then fight-or-flight will take over.

"To others it appears as if I'm being difficult and melodramatic, but it's tough to describe unless you've experienced it."

Three Ways to Manage

If you suffer then there are various strategies you can try to cope the situation, based on advice from clinical psychologists.

1. Visualise a Different Scenario: Imagination is essential. Work on connecting the triggering sound affecting you with something completely different. So for example, try to envision someone's noisy drinking is just a waterfall. The goal is to teach your brain that the sound affecting you isn't harmful.
2. Use Humor: Have a bit of fun and turn the annoying sound into a competition involving the source. For instance, if someone is crunching loudly attempt mimicking the sound. By mimicking, rather than feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an willing part. And the challenge should help redirect your focus and make you slightly more tolerant.
3. Create a Scenario: Another technique is to try to invent a reason about the reason someone making the noise is doing it. So if someone was sniffing, maybe they are not feeling well or could be emotional. This approach is altering the perception of the sound. Even though the sound stays the same, your reaction of it moves from being annoying, to feeling a bit more accepting towards it.