Christmas Can Be a Terrifying Experience for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.

A 23-year-old hopes for seeing her family during the festive period, but says a key strategy she'll endure is by relying on her noise-cancelling devices - notably for the holiday meal.

For the 23-year-old, Christmas can be a particularly difficult period as the noises of family members munching, drinking noisily and sniffling make her feel intense distress.

"I experience this sensation of instant dread, my entire being will just freeze and it as though I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to stop these noises."

Lottie has lived with this condition from a young age and for her that causes the Christmas time "incredibly overwhelming".

Misophonia is a decreased threshold to specific noises, particularly those made by those around you.

The condition is widespread across the population. Researchers found nearly 20% people are affected by it.

Frequently it's noises linked to mouth, throat or facial movements that trigger a reaction, along with things like chewing, heavy breathing, and pen clicking.

Triggering Stress

She explains: "There are so many assorted problematic noises at the holidays and that can be daunting and make you fear it.

"Those close to me are supportive, but I'm very aware that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a constant struggle of managing my symptoms to ensure everyone else is happy."

So it's obvious why the most wonderful period can quickly turn into a stressful ordeal for affected individuals.

Triggers that may appear innocuous, like someone sipping a beverage, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can trigger a strong emotional response that can even result in them skipping events entirely.

She, a university student, who has struggled with misophonia for over a decade, explains currently her plan is to listen to music to cope. Usually, she would frequently go in a separate space to minimize distressing triggers.

She says her sensitivity is worse around people she's closest to, so Christmas is always "hard".

"There's an expectation to be around family, and I want to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.

"It's like this uncontrollable anger comes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel panicked and immediately start crying and then fight-or-flight will take over.

"To others it appears as if I'm being oversensitive and melodramatic, but it's tough to describe unless you've experienced it."

Several Strategies to Manage

If you suffer then there are various strategies you can use to handle the situation, according to experts.

1. Imagine Something Else: Creative thinking is essential. Try to associate the triggering sound causing distress with a neutral concept. So for example, try to picture someone's slurping is just a sink draining water. By doing this is to help your brain learn that the sound affecting you is neutral.
2. Make it a Game: Use lightheartedness and make the irritating noise into a game involving the source. For instance, if someone is eating noisily have a go at mimicking the sound. By joining in, rather than feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an active participant. And the competition element should help distract your brain and make you slightly more tolerant.
3. Create a Scenario: A further strategy is to try to fabricate an explanation about why the person making the noise is having to make that sound. So if someone was making a nasal sound, maybe they are not feeling well or could be emotional. By doing this is re-framing the context of the sound. Although the sound remains identical, your interpretation of it changes from being irritating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate about it.