Yuletide Can Be a Nightmare for Those with Misophonia.

Lottie anticipates seeing her family during the festive period, but says a primary method she'll manage to get through it is by wearing her earplugs - notably for the main festive feast.

In her case, this time of year can be a particularly difficult time as the auditory triggers of other people chewing, drinking noisily and breathing heavily make her feel profound anxiety.

"There's this feeling of sudden panic, my whole body will just tense up and it seems as if I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to manage these triggers."

She has experienced sound sensitivity from a young age and for her that renders the holiday period "deeply taxing".

Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to certain sounds, especially noises made by individuals.

It is prevalent across the population. A study reported a significant portion of people experience it.

Typically it's sounds connected to bodily functions that cause distress, including things like crunching, heavy breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.

Triggering Stress

She explains: "There are so many various auditory triggers at the holidays and that can be daunting and make you dread it.

"Those close to me are supportive, 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 make sure the event goes smoothly."

So it's clear why the traditionally happy time of the year can rapidly become a stressful ordeal for sufferers.

Noises that may be considered normal, like someone drinking champagne, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or enjoying festive food can trigger a powerful reaction that can even result in them avoiding social settings altogether.

Jenna, a 21-year-old student, who has dealt with misophonia for over a decade, states her strategy is to listen to music to get through dinner. Typically, she would usually isolate herself in a separate space to escape triggering sounds.

She says her misophonia is more intense around people she's most familiar with, so Christmas is always "challenging".

"There is pressure to be around family, and I desire to, but it's draining.

"It's like this intense irritation washes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel stressed and immediately start crying and then the stress response will activate.

"It can come across as if I'm being unreasonable and overreacting, but it's difficult to convey without firsthand experience."

Several Strategies to Cope

For those affected then there are various strategies you can attempt to manage the situation, based on advice from clinical psychologists.

1. Imagine Something Else: Creative thinking is crucial. Attempt to link the particular sound bothering you with something completely different. For instance, try to envision someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. This technique is to retrain your mind that the sound affecting you isn't harmful.
2. Make it a Game: Introduce playfulness and turn the annoying sound into a competition involving the source. For example, if someone is eating noisily attempt copying the noise. By mimicking, rather than feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an active participant. And the challenge should help redirect your focus and make you slightly more tolerant.
3. Develop a Narrative: A further strategy is to try to invent a reason about the reason someone making the noise is behaving that way. For example if someone was making a nasal sound, perhaps they're not in good health or could be emotional. This approach is re-framing the context of the sound. Even though the sound stays the same, your reaction of it shifts from being annoying, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.