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

One young woman anticipates being with her relatives over the holidays, but notes a key strategy she'll cope is by wearing her earplugs - especially during the main festive feast.

In her case, Christmas is a especially challenging time as the sounds of other people chewing, slurping and nose-blowing cause her extremely uncomfortable.

"I experience this wave of immediate anxiety, my entire being will just tense up and it as though I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to somehow control these triggers."

Lottie has lived with misophonia from a young age and for her that renders the festive season "incredibly overwhelming".

Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to specific noises, notably sounds coming from those around you.

The condition is widespread amongst adults. Experts discovered almost one in five people suffer from it.

Frequently it's sounds associated with mouth, throat or facial movements that trigger a reaction, including examples such as crunching, heavy breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.

Triggering Stress

She explains: "I face so many assorted problematic noises at the holidays and that can be stressful and make you want to avoid it.

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

So it's obvious why the traditionally happy time of the year can quickly turn into a living nightmare for those with the condition.

Triggers that may seem harmless, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or enjoying festive food can trigger a strong emotional response that can even lead to them skipping events entirely.

The student, a young adult, who has experienced sound sensitivity since aged 10, says her strategy is to listen to music to cope. On any other day, she would often retreat in a separate space to minimize triggering sounds.

She says her misophonia is more intense around people she's closest to, so the holidays is always "difficult".

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

"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 take over.

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

Three Ways to Cope

For those affected then there are various strategies you can use to handle the situation, as suggested by clinical psychologists.

1. Imagine an Alternative: Mental imagery is key. Attempt to link the specific noise causing distress with an unrelated image. As an illustration, try to picture someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. By doing this is to help your brain learn that the sound triggering you poses no threat.
2. Try a Competition: Have a bit of fun and make the irritating noise into a competition involving the source. As an example, if someone is crunching loudly have a go at joining in. By joining in, instead of feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an engaged person. And the game aspect should help distract your brain and make you slightly more tolerant.
3. Develop a Narrative: One more method is to try to invent a reason about the reason someone creating the sound is behaving that way. Imagine if someone was making a nasal sound, maybe they are not at their best or could be emotional. This approach is altering the perception of the sound. Although the sound remains identical, your interpretation of it changes from being annoying, to feeling a little more neutral about it.