Yuletide Often Proves to Be a Nightmare for Misophonia Sufferers.

Lottie is looking forward to seeing her family this Christmas, but admits a primary method she'll cope is by wearing her noise-cancelling devices - particularly at the holiday meal.

For the 23-year-old, the holidays can be a notably tough time as the noises of people eating, sipping loudly and nose-blowing make her feel profound anxiety.

"There's this feeling of sudden panic, my whole body will just tense up and it as though I'm in danger, and I need to manage these sounds."

She has experienced sound sensitivity for several years and for her that renders the festive season "exceptionally stressful".

Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to specific noises, especially noises coming from other people.

The condition is widespread amongst adults. Researchers discovered a significant portion of people experience it.

Frequently it's noises connected to eating or drinking that trigger a reaction, including things like crunching, breathing, and pen clicking.

'Anxiety Inducing'

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

"My family are supportive, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a really big battle of enduring my distress to ensure others enjoy themselves."

So it's clear why the supposedly joyous period can transform into a stressful ordeal for affected individuals.

Noises that may be considered normal, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or enjoying festive food can provoke a visceral feeling that can even result in them avoiding social settings altogether.

Jenna, a young adult, who has experienced misophonia for over a decade, explains the approach she intends to use is to put her earphones in to cope. Usually, she would often retreat in a separate space to minimize triggering sounds.

She notes her misophonia is more pronounced around people she's closest to, so Christmas is always "hard".

"There is pressure to socialize with family, and I want to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.

"The sensation is this intense irritation comes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel stressed and immediately start crying and then panic will activate.

"It can come across as if I'm being unreasonable and melodramatic, but it's tough to describe if you haven't felt it."

A Few Techniques to Cope

If you suffer then there are some different techniques you can attempt to manage the situation, based on advice from experts.

1. Picture a Different Scenario: Mental imagery is key. Attempt to link the specific noise affecting you with a neutral concept. As an illustration, try to envision someone's slurping is just a gentle stream. This technique is to retrain your mind that the sound triggering you isn't harmful.
2. Try a Competition: Have a bit of fun and make the irritating noise into a competition involving the source. For instance, if someone is crunching loudly attempt mimicking the sound. By mimicking, instead of feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an active participant. And the game aspect should help shift your attention and make you slightly more tolerant.
3. Develop a Narrative: 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 in good health or are troubled. This approach is re-framing the context of the sound. Even though the sound remains identical, your interpretation of it shifts from being annoying, to feeling a slightly more compassionate about it.