Yuletide Transforms Into a Living Hell for Misophonia Sufferers.

Lottie anticipates spending time with her family this Christmas, but says a key strategy she'll endure is by using her noise-cancelling devices - particularly at Christmas dinner.

For her, Christmas often feels like a especially challenging period as the noises of other people chewing, drinking noisily and nose-blowing trigger intense distress.

"I experience this feeling of instant dread, my every muscle will just freeze and it as though I'm in danger, and I need to stop these triggers."

Lottie has lived with misophonia from a young age and for her that causes the holiday period "exceptionally stressful".

Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to particular auditory triggers, particularly those produced by those around you.

It's surprisingly common amongst adults. Experts reported a significant portion of people suffer from it.

Often it's sounds connected to eating or drinking that trigger a reaction, including things like chewing, breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.

Triggering Stress

The sufferer notes: "There are so many various auditory triggers at the holidays and that can be anxiety inducing and make you fear it.

"My family are aware, but I'm very aware that I don't want to upset others. It's like a really big battle of sacrificing my own sanity to guarantee everyone else is happy."

So it's obvious why the most wonderful season can transform into a stressful ordeal for those with the condition.

Triggers that may appear innocuous, like someone sipping a beverage, unwrapping gifts, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can cause a visceral feeling that can even cause them withdrawing from gatherings.

Jenna, a university student, who has dealt with sound sensitivity since aged 10, states her strategy is to listen to music to get through dinner. Usually, she would frequently go in a different room to avoid distressing triggers.

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

"There is pressure to be around loved ones, and I desire to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.

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

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

Several Strategies to Cope

If it's an issue then there are various strategies you can use to handle the situation, based on advice from clinical psychologists.

1. Imagine a Different Scenario: Mental imagery is key. Work on connecting the specific noise bothering you with a neutral concept. For instance, try to picture someone's slurping is just a gentle stream. The goal is to help your brain learn that the sound affecting you isn't harmful.
2. Make it a Game: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a challenge with the person. For instance, if someone is crunching loudly attempt mimicking the sound. Through participation, rather than feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an active participant. And the game aspect should help shift your attention and make you somewhat less sensitive.
3. Create a Scenario: Another technique is to try to fabricate an explanation about the reason someone making the noise is doing it. For example if someone was sniffing, maybe they are not in good health or are troubled. By doing this is changing the meaning of the sound. Even though the noise remains identical, your understanding of it moves from being aggravating, to feeling a little more neutral towards it.