Yuletide Often Proves to Be a Nightmare for Misophonia Sufferers.

Lottie hopes for spending time with her family during the festive period, but admits a key strategy she'll endure is by wearing her noise-cancelling devices - especially during Christmas dinner.

In her case, the holidays is a especially challenging time as the noises of other people chewing, sipping loudly and sniffling trigger intense distress.

"There's this feeling of instant dread, my whole body will just freeze and it seems as if I'm in peril, and I need to manage these sounds."

Lottie has lived with misophonia from a young age and for her that renders the Christmas time "deeply taxing".

Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to specific noises, especially noises coming from individuals.

It's surprisingly common across the population. Researchers discovered almost one in five people are affected by it.

Often it's noises linked to eating or drinking that trigger a reaction, as well as examples such as chewing, breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.

A Source of Dread

She explains: "There are so many assorted problematic noises at the holidays and that can be stressful and make you dread it.

"Those close to me are supportive, but I'm very aware that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a internal conflict of managing my symptoms to ensure the event goes smoothly."

So it's easy to understand why the most wonderful time of the year can transform into a living nightmare for affected individuals.

Triggers that may seem harmless, like someone drinking champagne, unwrapping gifts, or enjoying festive food can cause a strong emotional response that can even lead to them skipping events entirely.

Jenna, a university student, who has experienced sound sensitivity from childhood, says currently her plan is to listen to music to get through dinner. Usually, she would usually isolate herself in a quiet area to escape problematic noises.

She says her condition is more pronounced around people she's most comfortable with, so Christmas is always "challenging".

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

"The sensation is this intense irritation comes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel stressed and begin to weep and then fight-or-flight will kick in.

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

Several Strategies to Handle It

If it's an issue then there are some different techniques you can use to handle the situation, based on advice from specialists.

1. Visualise a Different Scenario: Creative thinking is key. Try to associate the specific noise bothering you with something completely different. So for example, try to imagine someone's slurping is just a waterfall. The goal is to help your brain learn that the sound triggering you is neutral.
2. Try a Competition: Introduce playfulness and turn the annoying sound into a challenge with the person. For instance, if someone is crunching loudly attempt copying the noise. By joining in, rather than feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an willing part. And the challenge should help shift your attention and make you slightly more tolerant.
3. Craft a Story: A further strategy is to try to create a little story about why the person making the noise is doing it. So if someone was making a nasal sound, perhaps they're not at their best or could be emotional. By doing this is altering the perception of the sound. Even though the sound doesn't change, your interpretation of it changes from being annoying, to feeling a bit more accepting towards it.