The Holiday Season Can Be a Terrifying Experience for Misophonia Sufferers.

One young woman is looking forward to spending time with her family during the festive period, but says a primary method she'll endure is by using her hearing protection - particularly at the holiday meal.

For the 23-year-old, the holidays is a especially challenging time as the sounds of other people chewing, drinking noisily and sniffling cause her intense distress.

"I experience this wave of sudden panic, my whole body will just freeze and it seems as if I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to somehow control these sounds."

Lottie has suffered from this condition since she was 16 and for her that makes the festive season "deeply taxing".

Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to certain sounds, especially noises produced by individuals.

It's surprisingly common in the UK. A study reported almost one in five people experience it.

Typically it's sounds connected to eating or drinking that lead to discomfort, as well as examples such as crunching, breathing, and pen clicking.

'Anxiety Inducing'

Lottie says: "You encounter so many different triggering sounds at the holidays and that can be anxiety inducing and make you fear it.

"My relatives are aware, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to upset others. It's like a internal conflict of enduring my distress to ensure others enjoy themselves."

So it's easy to understand why the traditionally happy season can transform into a stressful ordeal for affected individuals.

Sounds that may seem harmless, like someone sipping a beverage, opening presents, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can cause a powerful reaction that can even result in them skipping events entirely.

Jenna, a young adult, who has struggled with sound sensitivity from childhood, states currently her plan is to listen to music to get through dinner. On any other day, she would frequently go in a quiet area to minimize triggering sounds.

She explains her sensitivity is more pronounced around people she's most familiar with, so Christmas is always "difficult".

"There's an expectation to spend time with family, and I wish to, but it's draining.

"I feel as if this uncontrollable anger comes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel anxious and burst into tears and then the stress response will kick in.

"It can come across as if I'm being unreasonable and overreacting, but it's hard to explain if you haven't felt it."

Several Strategies to Manage

If you suffer then there are some different techniques you can try to cope the situation, according to clinical psychologists.

1. Visualise Something Else: Creative thinking is key. Try to associate the specific noise causing distress with something completely different. So for example, try to imagine 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: Introduce playfulness and turn the annoying sound into a competition with the culprit. For example, if someone is eating noisily have a go at copying the noise. By joining in, rather than feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an active participant. And the challenge should help distract your brain and make you somewhat less sensitive.
3. Create a Scenario: Another technique is to try to invent a reason about why the person creating the sound is having to make that sound. For example if someone was sniffing, perhaps they're not feeling well or are troubled. This approach is re-framing the context of the sound. While the sound remains identical, your interpretation of it moves from being annoying, to feeling a little more neutral about it.