The Holiday Season Often Proves to Be a Nightmare for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.

A 23-year-old hopes for seeing her loved ones this Christmas, but admits a key strategy she'll cope is by relying on her noise-cancelling devices - notably for Christmas dinner.

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

"I get this sensation of immediate anxiety, my whole body will just freeze and it feels like I'm in peril, and I need to stop these triggers."

The individual has lived with misophonia from a young age and for her that causes the Christmas time "exceptionally stressful".

Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to certain sounds, especially noises produced by other people.

It is prevalent amongst adults. Researchers reported almost one in five people are affected by it.

Often it's sounds connected to eating or drinking that lead to discomfort, as well as examples such as crunching, breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.

A Source of Dread

Lottie says: "There are so many various auditory triggers at the holidays and that can be stressful and make you want to avoid it.

"My relatives are aware, but I'm very aware that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a constant struggle of sacrificing my own sanity to ensure the event goes smoothly."

So it's clear why the most wonderful time of the year can quickly turn into a source of agony for affected individuals.

Noises that may appear innocuous, like someone drinking champagne, opening presents, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can provoke a strong emotional response that can even result in them withdrawing from gatherings.

She, a university student, who has dealt with misophonia since aged 10, explains her strategy is to use headphones to cope. Typically, she would usually isolate herself in a quiet area to avoid triggering sounds.

She notes her sensitivity is more intense around people she's most comfortable with, so the holidays is always "hard".

"There's an expectation to socialize with family, and I desire to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.

"The sensation is this sudden rage comes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel anxious and begin to weep and then the stress response will take over.

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

Three Ways to Manage

If it's an issue then there are some different techniques you can use to handle the situation, as suggested by experts.

1. Imagine an Alternative: Creative thinking is key. Attempt to link the specific noise causing distress with an unrelated image. So for example, try to picture someone's noisy drinking is just a waterfall. By doing this is to retrain your mind that the sound triggering you isn't harmful.
2. Use Humor: Have a bit of fun and turn the annoying sound into a competition with the culprit. As an example, if someone is crunching loudly try joining in. By mimicking, instead of feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an active participant. And the game aspect should help distract your brain and make you a little less affected.
3. Develop a Narrative: A further strategy is to try to invent a reason about why the person creating the sound is doing it. Imagine if someone was making a nasal sound, perhaps they're not at their best or could be emotional. This approach is re-framing the context of the sound. Even though the noise stays the same, your reaction of it changes from being irritating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate about it.