Yuletide Can Be a Living Hell for Misophonia Sufferers.

A 23-year-old anticipates spending time with her loved ones during the festive period, but notes a key strategy she'll cope is by wearing her noise-cancelling devices - especially during the holiday meal.

For the 23-year-old, this time of year is a especially challenging season as the auditory triggers of people eating, drinking noisily and nose-blowing make her feel intense distress.

"I experience this wave of immediate anxiety, my whole body will just tighten and it seems as if I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to stop these sounds."

She has suffered from sound sensitivity since she was 16 and for her that renders the holiday period "deeply taxing".

Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to particular auditory triggers, notably sounds produced by other people.

It's surprisingly common in the UK. Researchers found a significant portion of people experience it.

Often it's sounds associated with eating or drinking that lead to discomfort, along with examples such as chewing, breathing, and foot tapping.

A Source of Dread

Lottie says: "I face so many assorted problematic noises at the holidays and that can be anxiety inducing and make you dread it.

"My relatives are understanding, but I'm very aware that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a really big battle of managing my symptoms to ensure the event goes smoothly."

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

Sounds that may be considered normal, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, opening presents, or eating the holiday meal can provoke a powerful reaction that can even result in them skipping events entirely.

She, a university student, who has experienced sound sensitivity for over a decade, says her strategy is to put her earphones in to cope. Typically, she would frequently go in a different room to escape problematic noises.

She says her condition is worse around people she's most comfortable with, so Christmas is always "hard".

"People assume you to spend time with family, and I wish to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.

"The sensation is this sudden rage comes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel panicked and begin to weep and then the stress response will activate.

"It can come across as if I'm being oversensitive and melodramatic, 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 some different techniques you can use to handle the situation, according to clinical psychologists.

1. Visualise Something Else: Creative thinking is crucial. Attempt to link the particular sound bothering you with a neutral concept. For instance, try to envision someone's noisy drinking is just a sink draining water. This technique is to teach your brain that the sound affecting you is neutral.
2. Try a Competition: Use lightheartedness and turn the annoying sound into a game with the culprit. For example, if someone is eating noisily attempt copying the noise. By mimicking, rather than feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an willing part. And the game aspect should help shift your attention and make you slightly more tolerant.
3. Create a Scenario: One more method is to try to create a little story about the reason someone creating the sound is doing it. Imagine if someone was sniffing, maybe they are not in good health or are troubled. The idea is altering the perception of the sound. Although the sound remains identical, your reaction of it moves from being irritating, to feeling a little more neutral about it.