Yuletide Transforms Into a Nightmare for Misophonia Sufferers.

Lottie anticipates being with her loved ones during the festive period, but notes one of the only ways she'll cope is by wearing her earplugs - notably for the main festive feast.

For her, this time of year is a particularly difficult period as the sounds of family members munching, sipping loudly and sniffling trigger intense distress.

"There's this feeling of instant dread, my every muscle will just tighten and it as though I'm in danger, and I need to somehow control these sounds."

The individual has suffered from misophonia for several years and for her that makes the festive season "exceptionally stressful".

Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to particular auditory triggers, especially noises coming from those around you.

It is prevalent across the population. Experts found a significant portion of people suffer from it.

Frequently it's sounds linked to eating or drinking that cause distress, including things like chewing, heavy breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.

'Anxiety Inducing'

The sufferer notes: "There are so many assorted problematic noises at the holidays and that can be stressful and make you fear it.

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

So it's easy to understand why the most wonderful season can quickly turn into a living nightmare for sufferers.

Noises that may be considered normal, like someone drinking champagne, unwrapping gifts, or enjoying festive food can cause a strong emotional response that can even result in them skipping events entirely.

She, a 21-year-old student, who has experienced sound sensitivity for over a decade, states her strategy is to use headphones to cope. Typically, she would frequently go in a quiet area to avoid problematic noises.

She notes her misophonia is worse around people she's closest to, so Christmas is always "difficult".

"People assume you to socialize with family, and I want to, but it's draining.

"The sensation is this uncontrollable anger takes hold, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel anxious and burst into tears and then fight-or-flight will activate.

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

Three Ways to Handle It

If you suffer then there are various strategies you can attempt to manage the situation, as suggested by specialists.

1. Picture a Different Scenario: Mental imagery is essential. Try to associate the triggering sound bothering you with a neutral concept. For instance, try to envision someone's noisy drinking is just a sink draining water. By doing this is to retrain your mind that the sound affecting you isn't harmful.
2. Try a Competition: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a competition involving the source. For instance, if someone is eating noisily attempt joining in. By joining in, rather than feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an engaged person. And the challenge should help redirect your focus and make you slightly more tolerant.
3. Create a Scenario: Another technique 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, maybe they are not in good health or could be emotional. The idea is altering the perception of the sound. Although the noise stays the same, your understanding of it shifts from being aggravating, to feeling a little more neutral about it.