Yuletide Can Be a Nightmare for Misophonia Sufferers.

One young woman is looking forward to seeing her relatives during the festive period, but admits a primary method she'll endure is by relying on her noise-cancelling devices - particularly at the holiday meal.

For her, the holidays is a especially challenging season as the auditory triggers of people eating, drinking noisily and nose-blowing trigger extremely uncomfortable.

"I get this sensation of instant dread, my entire being will just tense up and it seems as if I'm in peril, and I need to somehow control these noises."

She has suffered from misophonia for several years and for her that causes the Christmas time "incredibly overwhelming".

Misophonia is a decreased threshold to particular auditory triggers, especially noises made by those around you.

It is prevalent amongst adults. A study discovered a significant portion of people experience it.

Typically it's sounds linked to bodily functions that lead to discomfort, as well as examples such as crunching, breathing, and pen clicking.

'Anxiety Inducing'

Lottie says: "I face so many different triggering sounds at the holidays and that can be daunting and make you fear it.

"Those close to me are aware, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to upset others. It's like a constant struggle of managing my symptoms to guarantee others enjoy themselves."

So it's easy to understand why the most wonderful season can quickly turn into a stressful ordeal for sufferers.

Noises that may seem harmless, like someone sipping a beverage, opening presents, or enjoying festive food can cause a powerful reaction that can even result in them withdrawing from gatherings.

She, a 21-year-old student, who has dealt with sound sensitivity from childhood, says the approach she intends to use is to listen to music to manage the meal. Typically, she would frequently go in a different room to avoid problematic noises.

She explains her condition is more intense around people she's closest to, so the holidays is always "challenging".

"There is pressure to socialize with family, and I want to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.

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

"It may seem as if I'm being difficult and melodramatic, but it's tough to describe without firsthand experience."

Several Strategies to Cope

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

1. Picture Something Else: Mental imagery is key. Work on connecting the triggering sound causing distress with something completely different. As an illustration, try to picture someone's noisy drinking is just a waterfall. The goal is to retrain your mind that the sound triggering you is neutral.
2. Use Humor: Use lightheartedness and turn the annoying sound into a game with the culprit. For instance, if someone is eating noisily have a go at mimicking the sound. Through participation, rather than feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an engaged person. And the competition element should help distract your brain and make you a little less affected.
3. Develop a Narrative: One more method is to try to invent a reason about why the person creating the sound is behaving that way. Imagine if someone was sniffing, maybe they are not at their best or maybe they're upset. By doing this is altering the perception of the sound. While the noise remains identical, your interpretation of it moves from being aggravating, to feeling a bit more accepting towards it.