Christmas Often Proves to Be a Living Hell for Misophonia Sufferers.

A 23-year-old anticipates being with her relatives this Christmas, but says a key strategy she'll manage to get through it is by relying on her noise-cancelling devices - particularly at the main festive feast.

For her, this time of year is a particularly difficult time as the noises of people eating, sipping loudly and nose-blowing make her feel extremely uncomfortable.

"There's this feeling of immediate anxiety, my entire being will just freeze and it feels like I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to manage these triggers."

Lottie has lived with sound sensitivity since she was 16 and for her that renders the holiday period "deeply taxing".

Misophonia is a decreased threshold to certain sounds, particularly those made by those around you.

The condition is widespread in the UK. Researchers reported nearly 20% people suffer from it.

Typically it's noises linked to bodily functions that trigger a reaction, including examples such as chewing, heavy breathing, and pen clicking.

'Anxiety Inducing'

She explains: "There are so many different triggering sounds at the holidays and that can be stressful and make you fear it.

"My family are understanding, but I'm very aware that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a internal conflict of sacrificing my own sanity to guarantee everyone else is happy."

So it's easy to understand why the most wonderful period can rapidly become a stressful ordeal for affected individuals.

Noises that may be considered normal, like someone drinking champagne, opening presents, or eating the holiday meal can trigger a strong emotional response that can even cause them avoiding social settings altogether.

The student, a young adult, who has struggled with misophonia from childhood, states currently her plan is to listen to music to cope. On any other day, she would frequently go in a separate space to minimize problematic noises.

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

"People assume you to socialize with loved ones, and I wish to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.

"It's like this sudden rage comes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel panicked and burst into tears and then the stress response will take over.

"To others it appears as if I'm being oversensitive and dramatic, but it's hard to explain if you haven't felt it."

Several Strategies to Handle It

For those affected then there are a few methods you can use to handle the situation, as suggested by clinical psychologists.

1. Visualise a Different Scenario: Mental imagery is essential. Attempt to link the triggering sound bothering you with something completely different. For instance, try to imagine someone's slurping is just a sink draining water. By doing this is to help your brain learn that the sound triggering you isn't harmful.
2. Use Humor: Introduce playfulness and turn the annoying sound into a competition with the person. For instance, if someone is crunching loudly try joining in. By mimicking, rather than feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an engaged person. And the game aspect should help redirect your focus and make you a little less affected.
3. Create a Scenario: A further strategy is to try to create a little story about why the person creating the sound is behaving that way. For example if someone was making a nasal sound, it could be that they're not in good health or are troubled. By doing this is changing the meaning of the sound. While the sound doesn't change, your interpretation of it changes from being irritating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate about it.