Yuletide Transforms Into a Nightmare for Misophonia Sufferers.

A 23-year-old is looking forward to spending time with her relatives this Christmas, but notes a primary method she'll cope is by using her noise-cancelling devices - especially during the holiday meal.

For the 23-year-old, the holidays often feels like a particularly difficult season as the sounds of family members munching, drinking noisily and sniffling cause her profound anxiety.

"I get this sensation of sudden panic, my whole body will just tighten and it as though I'm in danger, and I need to manage these triggers."

Lottie has experienced sound sensitivity since she was 16 and for her that makes the holiday period "exceptionally stressful".

Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to certain sounds, particularly those produced by individuals.

It is prevalent across the population. Researchers reported nearly 20% people suffer from it.

Frequently it's sounds connected to mouth, throat or facial movements that lead to discomfort, including things like crunching, heavy breathing, and pen clicking.

'Anxiety Inducing'

She explains: "I face so many various auditory triggers at the holidays and that can be stressful and make you dread it.

"My family are understanding, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a really big battle of enduring my distress to guarantee others enjoy themselves."

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

Sounds that may seem harmless, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, unwrapping gifts, or eating the holiday meal can provoke a strong emotional response that can even lead to them skipping events entirely.

Jenna, a young adult, who has experienced misophonia since aged 10, says her strategy is to listen to music to get through dinner. Usually, she would usually isolate herself in a different room to avoid problematic noises.

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

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

"It's like this intense irritation takes hold, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel stressed and burst into tears and then panic will take over.

"It can come across as if I'm being unreasonable and melodramatic, but it's hard to explain without firsthand experience."

A Few Techniques to Handle It

For those affected then there are some different techniques you can attempt to manage the situation, according to experts.

1. Imagine Something Else: Creative thinking is essential. Attempt to link the specific noise causing distress with an unrelated image. For instance, try to envision someone's slurping is just a gentle stream. By doing this is to help your brain learn that the sound triggering you isn't harmful.
2. Try a Competition: Have a bit of fun and make the irritating noise into a game involving the source. As an 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 willing part. And the competition element should help redirect your focus and make you a little less affected.
3. Create a Scenario: A further strategy is to try to fabricate an explanation about the reason someone creating the sound is behaving that way. So if someone was making a nasal sound, perhaps they're not at their best or maybe they're upset. By doing this is altering the perception of the sound. While the sound doesn't change, your understanding of it changes from being aggravating, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.