Yuletide Transforms Into a Nightmare for Those with Misophonia.

Lottie anticipates seeing her family during the festive period, but notes a primary method she'll cope is by using her noise-cancelling devices - especially during the main festive feast.

In her case, Christmas can be a notably tough season as the noises of other people chewing, slurping and nose-blowing trigger intense distress.

"I experience this wave of instant dread, my whole body will just tighten and it feels like I'm in peril, and I need to stop these triggers."

The individual has suffered from this condition for several years and for her that makes the holiday period "exceptionally stressful".

Misophonia is a decreased threshold to certain sounds, notably sounds produced by individuals.

The condition is widespread across the population. Researchers discovered almost one in five people suffer from it.

Typically it's noises connected to eating or drinking that cause distress, including examples such as chewing, heavy breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.

'Anxiety Inducing'

Lottie says: "You encounter so many assorted problematic noises at Christmas and that can be daunting and make you want to avoid it.

"My relatives are aware, but I'm very aware that I don't want to upset others. It's like a really big battle of enduring my distress to make sure everyone else is happy."

So it's obvious why the most wonderful period can transform into a stressful ordeal for sufferers.

Sounds that may seem harmless, like someone sipping a beverage, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can provoke a powerful reaction that can even lead to them skipping events entirely.

She, a university student, who has dealt with sound sensitivity since aged 10, explains currently her plan is to use headphones to manage the meal. Usually, she would often retreat in a different room to minimize distressing triggers.

She says her condition is worse around people she's most comfortable with, so Christmas is always "hard".

"People assume you to socialize with family, and I wish to, but it's exhausting on all levels.

"The sensation is this intense irritation comes over me, which can feel awkward, 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 melodramatic, but it's difficult to convey without firsthand experience."

Three Ways to Manage

For those affected then there are some different techniques you can use to handle the situation, based on advice from clinical psychologists.

1. Imagine Something Else: Creative thinking is essential. Try to associate the particular sound causing distress with a neutral concept. As an illustration, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a sink draining water. This technique is to retrain your mind that the sound affecting you isn't harmful.
2. Use Humor: Have a bit of fun and make the irritating noise into a challenge with the culprit. As an example, if someone is eating noisily have a go at mimicking the sound. By joining in, instead of feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an willing part. And the competition element should help shift your attention and make you slightly more tolerant.
3. Craft a Story: One more method is to try to fabricate an explanation about the reason someone creating the sound is having to make that sound. For example if someone was sniffing, maybe they are not in good health or are troubled. The idea is changing the meaning of the sound. While the sound doesn't change, your reaction of it moves from being irritating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate towards it.