Yuletide Transforms Into a Living Hell for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.

Lottie hopes for spending time with her relatives during the festive period, but says a primary method she'll cope is by using her hearing protection - especially during Christmas dinner.

For the 23-year-old, Christmas is a notably tough period as the auditory triggers of family members munching, drinking noisily and sniffling make her feel intense distress.

"I get this feeling of sudden panic, my every muscle will just tense up and it feels like I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to stop these noises."

Lottie has experienced sound sensitivity for several years and for her that makes the holiday period "deeply taxing".

Misophonia is a decreased threshold to specific noises, especially noises coming from those around you.

It's surprisingly common across the population. Experts found nearly 20% people are affected by it.

Often it's noises associated with bodily functions that trigger a reaction, including examples such as crunching, heavy breathing, and foot tapping.

'Anxiety Inducing'

Lottie says: "There are so many different triggering sounds at the holidays and that can be stressful and make you dread it.

"My relatives are supportive, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a internal conflict of sacrificing my own sanity to make sure the event goes smoothly."

So it's easy to understand why the supposedly joyous season can quickly turn into a living nightmare for those with the condition.

Sounds that may be considered normal, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or eating the holiday meal can provoke a visceral feeling that can even result in them avoiding social settings altogether.

Jenna, a young adult, who has struggled with misophonia from childhood, says currently her plan is to listen to music to get through dinner. Usually, she would frequently go in a separate space to minimize triggering sounds.

She says her misophonia is worse around people she's most familiar with, so Christmas is always "difficult".

"There is pressure to spend time with loved ones, and I wish to, but it's exhausting on all levels.

"It's like this sudden rage takes hold, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel stressed and begin to weep and then the stress response will kick in.

"It may seem as if I'm being difficult and melodramatic, but it's difficult to convey unless you've experienced it."

A Few Techniques to Manage

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

1. Visualise a Different Scenario: Imagination is crucial. Try to associate the triggering sound bothering you with something completely different. So for example, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. By doing this is to retrain your mind that the sound triggering you is neutral.
2. Use Humor: Use lightheartedness and make the irritating noise into a competition involving the source. For instance, if someone is eating noisily try mimicking the sound. Through participation, instead of feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an engaged person. And the competition element should help distract your brain and make you somewhat less sensitive.
3. Create a Scenario: One more method is to try to invent a reason about the reason someone creating the sound is doing it. For example if someone was making a nasal sound, it could be that they're not at their best or are troubled. This approach is altering the perception of the sound. Although the sound remains identical, your reaction of it shifts from being irritating, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.