Yuletide Can Be a Terrifying Experience for Misophonia Sufferers.

A 23-year-old hopes for spending time with her family during the festive period, but notes a key strategy she'll endure is by wearing her noise-cancelling devices - especially during Christmas dinner.

For her, the holidays is a notably tough time as the noises of people eating, slurping and sniffling make her feel profound anxiety.

"I experience this sensation of instant dread, my entire being will just freeze and it feels like I'm in peril, and I need to stop these noises."

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

Misophonia is a decreased threshold to specific noises, notably sounds coming from other people.

The condition is widespread amongst adults. A study found almost one in five people are affected by it.

Often it's noises connected to eating or drinking that cause distress, along with things like chewing, heavy breathing, and pen clicking.

Triggering Stress

Lottie says: "You encounter so many different triggering sounds at Christmas and that can be stressful and make you want to avoid it.

"My family are supportive, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to upset others. It's like a internal conflict of sacrificing my own sanity to ensure the event goes smoothly."

So it's easy to understand why the traditionally happy time of the year can rapidly become a living nightmare for those with the condition.

Sounds that may seem harmless, like someone drinking champagne, opening presents, or enjoying festive food can trigger a visceral feeling that can even lead to them withdrawing from gatherings.

The student, a young adult, who has dealt with misophonia from childhood, says the approach she intends to use is to listen to music to cope. Usually, she would usually isolate herself in a separate space to minimize problematic noises.

She notes her condition is more intense around people she's closest to, so the holidays is always "difficult".

"There's an expectation to be around loved ones, and I want to, but it's draining.

"The sensation is this uncontrollable anger takes hold, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel anxious and burst into tears and then panic will take over.

"It may seem as if I'm being oversensitive and overreacting, but it's difficult to convey if you haven't felt it."

Several Strategies to Manage

If it's an issue then there are a few methods you can attempt to manage the situation, according to clinical psychologists.

1. Picture a Different Scenario: Imagination is key. Try to associate the triggering sound affecting you with something completely different. So for example, try to picture someone's slurping is just a waterfall. By doing this is to retrain your mind that the sound affecting you poses no threat.
2. Try a Competition: Use lightheartedness and turn the annoying sound into a game with the culprit. For example, if someone is crunching loudly try mimicking the sound. By joining in, instead of feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an engaged person. And the game aspect should help redirect your focus and make you somewhat less sensitive.
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. So if someone was sniffing, perhaps they're not feeling well or are troubled. The idea is re-framing the context of the sound. Although the sound remains identical, your reaction of it changes from being annoying, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.