Yuletide Often Proves to Be a Living Hell for Misophonia Sufferers.

Lottie anticipates spending time with her relatives during the festive period, but notes a primary method she'll endure is by using her hearing protection - particularly at the main festive feast.

For her, this time of year can be a particularly difficult season as the sounds of other people chewing, sipping loudly and sniffling make her feel profound anxiety.

"I experience this sensation of immediate anxiety, my entire being will just tense up and it feels like I'm in danger, and I need to somehow control these sounds."

She has suffered from this condition from a young age and for her that renders the festive season "deeply taxing".

Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to particular auditory triggers, particularly those made by those around you.

The condition is widespread across the population. A study discovered almost one in five people experience it.

Typically it's sounds connected to eating or drinking that lead to discomfort, including examples such as crunching, breathing, and pen clicking.

A Source of Dread

Lottie says: "There are so many assorted problematic noises at Christmas and that can be stressful and make you want to avoid it.

"My family are understanding, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a internal conflict of enduring my distress to ensure others enjoy themselves."

So it's obvious why the traditionally happy time of the year can rapidly become a source of agony for sufferers.

Triggers that may appear innocuous, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or eating the holiday meal can provoke a visceral feeling that can even cause them skipping events entirely.

Jenna, a young adult, who has struggled with sound sensitivity from childhood, says the approach she intends to use is to listen to music to get through dinner. On any other day, she would usually isolate herself in a quiet area to escape problematic noises.

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

"There's an expectation to socialize with family, and I want to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.

"I feel as if this intense irritation washes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel stressed and immediately start crying and then fight-or-flight will take over.

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

Several Strategies to Manage

If you suffer then there are various strategies you can use to handle the situation, according to clinical psychologists.

1. Imagine an Alternative: Mental imagery is key. Work on connecting the particular sound causing distress 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 isn't harmful.
2. Use Humor: Introduce playfulness and turn the annoying sound into a game involving the source. As an example, if someone is crunching loudly attempt copying the noise. Through participation, rather than feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an active participant. And the game aspect should help shift your attention and make you a little less affected.
3. Craft a Story: One more method is to try to fabricate an explanation about the reason someone making the noise is doing it. Imagine if someone was sniffing, maybe they are not in good health or could be emotional. This approach is re-framing the context of the sound. While the sound remains identical, your understanding of it changes from being aggravating, to feeling a bit more accepting towards it.