Yuletide Can Be a Nightmare for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.

Lottie anticipates spending time with her family over the holidays, but says one of the only ways she'll manage to get through it is by using her noise-cancelling devices - notably for Christmas dinner.

For her, the holidays often feels like a particularly difficult season as the sounds of people eating, drinking noisily and nose-blowing trigger extremely uncomfortable.

"There's this wave of immediate anxiety, my every muscle will just freeze and it feels like I'm in danger, and I need to somehow control these noises."

Lottie has experienced misophonia from a young age and for her that makes the Christmas time "exceptionally stressful".

Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to specific noises, particularly those made by individuals.

It's surprisingly common in the UK. A study reported nearly 20% people suffer from it.

Typically it's noises linked to mouth, throat or facial movements that cause distress, including examples such as chewing, breathing, and pen clicking.

Triggering Stress

She explains: "There are so many assorted problematic noises at Christmas and that can be anxiety inducing and make you dread it.

"Those close to me are supportive, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a constant struggle of enduring my distress to guarantee the event goes smoothly."

So it's clear why the traditionally happy time of the year can quickly turn into a living nightmare for those with the condition.

Triggers that may appear innocuous, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, opening presents, or eating the holiday meal can cause a powerful reaction that can even lead to them avoiding social settings altogether.

Jenna, a 21-year-old student, who has struggled with misophonia from childhood, states the approach she intends to use is to listen to music to cope. Typically, she would frequently go in a different room to avoid distressing triggers.

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

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

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

"It can come across as if I'm being oversensitive and overreacting, but it's tough to describe without firsthand experience."

Three Ways to Cope

If you suffer then there are a few methods you can attempt to manage the situation, as suggested by clinical psychologists.

1. Visualise Something Else: Creative thinking is essential. Try to associate the specific noise causing distress with an unrelated image. So for example, try to imagine someone's slurping is just a sink draining water. This technique is to teach your brain that the sound triggering you is neutral.
2. Use Humor: Use lightheartedness and make the irritating noise into a game involving the source. For example, if someone is crunching loudly have a go at joining in. By mimicking, rather than feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an active participant. And the competition element should help distract your brain and make you somewhat less sensitive.
3. Create a Scenario: A further strategy is to try to invent a reason about the reason someone making the noise is having to make that sound. Imagine if someone was sniffing, it could be that they're not in good health or are troubled. This approach is re-framing the context of the sound. Even though the noise doesn't change, your understanding of it shifts from being annoying, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.