Yuletide Often Proves to Be a Terrifying Experience for Misophonia Sufferers.

Lottie anticipates spending time with her relatives this Christmas, but notes a key strategy she'll endure is by using her hearing protection - notably for the main festive feast.

In her case, the holidays can be a notably tough season as the noises of people eating, sipping loudly and sniffling make her feel extremely uncomfortable.

"I get this sensation of sudden panic, my every muscle will just tense up and it feels like I'm in peril, and I need to manage these noises."

Lottie has lived with misophonia from a young age and for her that causes the holiday period "deeply taxing".

Misophonia is a decreased threshold to particular auditory triggers, especially noises made by those around you.

It's surprisingly common in the UK. Experts found nearly 20% people suffer from it.

Frequently it's noises linked to eating or drinking that lead to discomfort, including examples such as crunching, heavy breathing, and foot tapping.

'Anxiety Inducing'

The sufferer notes: "You encounter so many assorted problematic noises at Christmas and that can be anxiety inducing and make you fear it.

"My family are understanding, but I'm very aware that I don't want to upset others. It's like a internal conflict of enduring my distress to ensure everyone else is happy."

So it's easy to understand why the traditionally happy season can transform into a source of agony for those with the condition.

Noises that may seem harmless, like someone sipping a beverage, opening presents, or eating the holiday meal can provoke a visceral feeling that can even lead to them skipping events entirely.

Jenna, a young adult, who has struggled with sound sensitivity for over a decade, explains currently her plan is to put her earphones in to manage the meal. Typically, she would often retreat in a quiet area to escape problematic noises.

She explains her sensitivity is more intense around people she's most familiar with, so Christmas is always "difficult".

"There is pressure to spend time with family, and I wish to, but it's draining.

"The sensation is this intense irritation washes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel anxious and burst into tears and then fight-or-flight will kick in.

"It can come across as if I'm being oversensitive and overreacting, but it's difficult to convey without firsthand experience."

Three Ways to Manage

For those affected then there are some different techniques you can attempt to manage the situation, based on advice from specialists.

1. Visualise a Different Scenario: Creative thinking is crucial. Work on connecting the triggering sound bothering you with an unrelated image. So for example, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a waterfall. By doing this is to teach your brain that the sound triggering you is neutral.
2. Use Humor: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a challenge with the person. As an example, if someone is crunching loudly try copying the noise. By joining in, instead of feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an active participant. And the competition element should help redirect your focus and make you a little less affected.
3. Create a Scenario: Another technique is to try to invent a reason about the reason someone making the noise is behaving that way. So if someone was sniffing, maybe they are not feeling well or are troubled. By doing this is altering the perception of the sound. Even though the noise remains identical, your interpretation of it shifts from being annoying, to feeling a slightly more compassionate about it.