Yuletide Transforms Into a Terrifying Experience for Misophonia Sufferers.

One young woman hopes for spending time with her relatives over the holidays, but admits a key strategy she'll manage to get through it is by wearing her hearing protection - particularly at Christmas dinner.

In her case, Christmas can be a particularly difficult season as the auditory triggers of people eating, sipping loudly and sniffling trigger profound anxiety.

"I experience this wave of instant dread, my whole body will just freeze and it as though I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to stop these sounds."

Lottie has lived with this condition for several years and for her that causes the Christmas time "deeply taxing".

Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to specific noises, particularly those made by individuals.

It is prevalent in the UK. Experts reported almost one in five people are affected by it.

Typically it's sounds connected to mouth, throat or facial movements that lead to discomfort, as well as examples such as crunching, heavy breathing, and pen clicking.

Triggering Stress

The sufferer notes: "I face so many different triggering sounds at the holidays and that can be stressful and make you dread it.

"Those close to me are supportive, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a internal conflict of managing my symptoms to ensure others enjoy themselves."

So it's clear why the traditionally happy time of the year can transform into a stressful ordeal for affected individuals.

Triggers that may seem harmless, like someone drinking champagne, opening presents, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can provoke a strong emotional response that can even cause them withdrawing from gatherings.

The student, a 21-year-old student, who has experienced sound sensitivity from childhood, states the approach she intends to use is to listen to music to get through dinner. Typically, she would usually isolate herself in a different room to avoid distressing triggers.

She says her sensitivity is worse around people she's most familiar with, so the holidays is always "difficult".

"There is pressure to socialize with loved ones, and I want to, but it's draining.

"I feel as if this sudden rage takes hold, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel stressed and immediately start crying and then the stress response will activate.

"To others it appears as if I'm being oversensitive and dramatic, but it's hard to explain without firsthand experience."

A Few Techniques to Cope

If you suffer then there are a few methods you can try to cope the situation, as suggested by experts.

1. Imagine Something Else: Mental imagery is key. Work on connecting the triggering sound bothering you with something completely different. So for example, try to picture someone's noisy drinking is just a sink draining water. This technique is to help your brain learn that the sound affecting you is neutral.
2. Try a Competition: Use lightheartedness and make the irritating noise into a challenge with the culprit. For instance, if someone is eating noisily attempt joining in. By joining in, rather than feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an engaged person. And the challenge should help redirect your focus and make you somewhat less sensitive.
3. Create a Scenario: One more method is to try to invent a reason about the reason someone creating the sound is behaving that way. Imagine if someone was making a nasal sound, maybe they are not feeling well or are troubled. The idea is altering the perception of the sound. While the noise doesn't change, your understanding of it changes from being aggravating, to feeling a little more neutral about it.