Christmas Transforms Into a Living Hell for Those with Misophonia.

A 23-year-old hopes for spending time with her family this Christmas, but admits a key strategy she'll manage to get through it is by relying on her hearing protection - especially during the holiday meal.

For the 23-year-old, the holidays often feels like a especially challenging period as the sounds of people eating, sipping loudly and nose-blowing cause her intense distress.

"I get this wave of instant dread, my every muscle will just freeze and it as though I'm in danger, and I need to manage these sounds."

She has lived with misophonia from a young age and for her that causes the holiday period "incredibly overwhelming".

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

It is prevalent amongst adults. Researchers found a significant portion of people suffer from it.

Frequently it's sounds connected to eating or drinking that trigger a reaction, including things like crunching, breathing, and foot tapping.

A Source of Dread

Lottie says: "You encounter so many assorted problematic noises at the holidays and that can be stressful and make you want to avoid it.

"My family are supportive, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to upset others. It's like a really big battle of managing my symptoms to guarantee the event goes smoothly."

So it's obvious why the most wonderful time of the year can quickly turn into a source of agony for those with the condition.

Noises that may seem harmless, like someone drinking champagne, opening presents, or enjoying festive food can provoke a powerful reaction that can even cause them withdrawing from gatherings.

She, a university student, who has dealt with sound sensitivity since aged 10, explains her strategy is to use headphones to cope. Typically, she would often retreat in a quiet area to minimize problematic noises.

She explains her condition is worse around people she's most comfortable with, so Christmas is always "difficult".

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

"I feel as if this intense irritation comes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel stressed and immediately start crying and then panic will take over.

"To others it appears as if I'm being difficult and melodramatic, but it's difficult to convey unless you've experienced it."

A Few Techniques to Handle It

For those affected then there are a few methods you can try to cope the situation, as suggested by experts.

1. Picture a Different Scenario: Creative thinking is key. Work on connecting the specific noise bothering you with an unrelated image. As an illustration, try to picture someone's slurping is just a gentle stream. This technique is to teach your brain that the sound affecting you isn't harmful.
2. Use Humor: Have a bit of fun and make the irritating noise into a challenge involving the source. As an example, if someone is eating noisily have a go at joining in. By mimicking, rather than feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an engaged person. And the game aspect should help redirect your focus and make you a little less affected.
3. Develop a Narrative: One more method is to try to create a little story about why the person making the noise is having to make that sound. So if someone was sniffing, it could be that they're not at their best or could be emotional. By doing this is re-framing the context of the sound. While the sound remains identical, your understanding of it moves from being irritating, to feeling a little more neutral towards it.