Yuletide Can Be a Living Hell for Those with Misophonia.

Lottie hopes for spending time with her family during the festive period, but says one of the only ways she'll endure is by relying on her hearing protection - especially during the holiday meal.

For the 23-year-old, Christmas often feels like a particularly difficult period as the noises of other people chewing, sipping loudly and breathing heavily cause her profound anxiety.

"I experience this wave of instant dread, my entire being will just tighten and it seems as if I'm in peril, and I need to manage these sounds."

Lottie has suffered from sound sensitivity from a young age and for her that makes the Christmas time "exceptionally stressful".

Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to certain sounds, especially noises made by those around you.

The condition is widespread amongst adults. A study reported a significant portion of people experience it.

Typically it's noises linked to eating or drinking that lead to discomfort, including things like chewing, breathing, and foot tapping.

'Anxiety Inducing'

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

"Those close to me are aware, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to upset others. It's like a really big battle of enduring my distress to make sure the event goes smoothly."

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

Sounds that may be considered normal, like someone drinking champagne, opening presents, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can trigger a visceral feeling that can even cause them withdrawing from gatherings.

Jenna, a university student, who has struggled with misophonia for over a decade, explains her strategy is to use headphones to cope. Typically, she would usually isolate herself in a separate space to escape triggering sounds.

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

"There's an expectation to be around loved ones, and I want to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.

"The sensation is this sudden rage washes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel anxious and begin to weep and then panic will take over.

"It can come across as if I'm being unreasonable and melodramatic, but it's tough to describe without firsthand experience."

Several Strategies to Cope

If it's an issue then there are some different techniques you can use to handle the situation, based on advice from clinical psychologists.

1. Imagine an Alternative: Mental imagery is crucial. Try to associate the triggering sound affecting you with an unrelated image. As an illustration, try to envision someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. The goal is to teach your brain that the sound affecting you is neutral.
2. Try a Competition: Introduce playfulness and turn the annoying sound into a game with the person. For example, if someone is crunching loudly try copying the noise. By mimicking, instead of feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an willing part. And the competition element should help distract your brain and make you a little less affected.
3. Develop a Narrative: A further strategy is to try to create a little story about why the person creating the sound is having to make that sound. For example if someone was sniffing, perhaps they're not at their best or could be emotional. By doing this is re-framing the context of the sound. Although the noise doesn't change, your understanding of it moves from being annoying, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.