Yuletide Transforms Into a Nightmare for Those with Misophonia.

A 23-year-old anticipates spending time with her loved ones this Christmas, but admits a key strategy she'll manage to get through it is by wearing her earplugs - particularly at the main festive feast.

For the 23-year-old, the holidays can be a particularly difficult season as the auditory triggers of other people chewing, sipping loudly and nose-blowing trigger intense distress.

"I get this wave of sudden panic, my entire being will just freeze and it seems as if I'm in peril, and I need to manage these triggers."

Lottie has experienced misophonia from a young age and for her that causes the festive season "exceptionally stressful".

Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to certain sounds, notably sounds made by individuals.

It's surprisingly common across the population. Experts reported nearly 20% people are affected by it.

Often it's noises associated with eating or drinking that cause distress, including things like chewing, breathing, and pen clicking.

Triggering Stress

She explains: "I face so many assorted problematic noises at the holidays and that can be anxiety inducing and make you want to avoid it.

"My relatives are supportive, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a internal conflict of enduring my distress to guarantee others enjoy themselves."

So it's easy to understand why the supposedly joyous season can quickly turn into a living nightmare for affected individuals.

Triggers that may be considered normal, like someone sipping a beverage, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or eating the holiday meal can provoke a powerful reaction that can even cause them avoiding social settings altogether.

The student, a university student, who has experienced sound sensitivity since aged 10, says the approach she intends to use is to put her earphones in to cope. Typically, she would frequently go in a separate space to escape problematic noises.

She explains her condition is more intense around people she's closest to, so Christmas is always "hard".

"There is pressure to be around loved ones, and I want to, but it's exhausting on all levels.

"I feel as if this uncontrollable anger takes hold, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel stressed and immediately start crying and then the stress response will take over.

"To others it appears as if I'm being oversensitive and overreacting, but it's tough to describe without firsthand experience."

A Few Techniques to Handle It

If it's an issue then there are some different techniques you can use to handle the situation, based on advice from experts.

1. Visualise Something Else: Imagination is key. Try to associate the specific noise causing distress with a neutral concept. So for example, try to envision someone's slurping is just a gentle stream. The goal is to retrain your mind that the sound affecting you poses no threat.
2. Use Humor: Have a bit of fun and turn the annoying sound into a challenge involving the source. As an example, if someone is crunching loudly try joining in. Through participation, rather than feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an active participant. And the competition element should help shift your attention and make you somewhat less sensitive.
3. Craft a Story: Another technique is to try to fabricate an explanation about why the person making the noise is behaving that way. For example if someone was making a nasal sound, maybe they are not at their best or are troubled. This approach is altering the perception of the sound. While the sound stays the same, your interpretation of it changes from being aggravating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate towards it.