The Holiday Season Often Proves to Be a Terrifying Experience for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.

Lottie is looking forward to being with her loved ones during the festive period, but says one of the only ways she'll manage to get through it is by wearing her noise-cancelling devices - especially during the holiday meal.

For her, this time of year can be a especially challenging time as the auditory triggers of people eating, drinking noisily and nose-blowing make her feel extremely uncomfortable.

"I get this wave of sudden panic, my whole body will just freeze and it seems as if I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to manage these sounds."

The individual has suffered from misophonia for several years and for her that causes the holiday period "exceptionally stressful".

Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to specific noises, notably sounds coming from other people.

The condition is widespread across the population. A study discovered nearly 20% people experience it.

Often it's sounds linked to eating or drinking that lead to discomfort, including examples such as crunching, heavy breathing, and foot tapping.

'Anxiety Inducing'

The sufferer notes: "You encounter so many assorted problematic noises at the holidays and that can be anxiety inducing and make you fear it.

"Those close to me are supportive, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a constant struggle of enduring my distress to ensure others enjoy themselves."

So it's easy to understand why the most wonderful time of the year can transform into a source of agony for those with the condition.

Triggers that may seem harmless, like someone drinking champagne, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or eating the holiday meal can provoke a powerful reaction that can even result in them withdrawing from gatherings.

She, a university student, who has struggled with misophonia for over a decade, explains her strategy is to put her earphones in to get through dinner. On any other day, she would often retreat in a different room to minimize triggering sounds.

She notes her sensitivity is worse around people she's most familiar with, so Christmas is always "hard".

"People assume you to spend time with family, and I desire to, but it's draining.

"The sensation is this uncontrollable anger washes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel anxious and begin to weep and then fight-or-flight will activate.

"It can come across as if I'm being unreasonable and dramatic, but it's hard to explain unless you've experienced it."

Several Strategies to Cope

If it's an issue then there are a few methods you can attempt to manage the situation, based on advice from specialists.

1. Imagine an Alternative: Imagination is key. Work on connecting the specific noise affecting you with an unrelated image. So for example, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a waterfall. This technique is to retrain your mind that the sound affecting you is neutral.
2. Use Humor: Have a bit of fun and turn the annoying sound into a competition with the culprit. As an example, if someone is crunching loudly try copying the noise. By mimicking, instead of feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an engaged person. And the game aspect should help shift your attention and make you a little less affected.
3. Develop a Narrative: A further strategy is to try to create a little story about the reason someone creating the sound is having to make that sound. So if someone was making a nasal sound, maybe they are not feeling well or maybe they're upset. By doing this is re-framing the context of the sound. Even though the noise stays the same, your reaction of it changes from being annoying, to feeling a little more neutral towards it.