Christmas Can Be a Living Hell for Misophonia Sufferers.

Lottie hopes for spending time with her family this Christmas, but notes a primary method she'll endure is by using her hearing protection - especially during the main festive feast.

For her, Christmas is a particularly difficult season as the sounds of family members munching, sipping loudly and nose-blowing cause her intense distress.

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

Lottie has experienced misophonia for several years and for her that makes the festive season "incredibly overwhelming".

Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to certain sounds, notably sounds made by individuals.

It's surprisingly common across the population. Experts reported nearly 20% people experience it.

Often it's sounds connected to eating or drinking that lead to discomfort, along with things like crunching, heavy breathing, and foot tapping.

Triggering Stress

Lottie says: "I face so many various auditory triggers at the holidays and that can be stressful and make you fear it.

"My family are understanding, but I'm very aware that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a constant struggle of enduring my distress to ensure the event goes smoothly."

So it's obvious why the traditionally happy season 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 enjoying festive food can provoke a powerful reaction that can even cause them withdrawing from gatherings.

The student, a 21-year-old student, who has experienced sound sensitivity from childhood, states currently her plan is to listen to music to manage the meal. Usually, she would frequently go in a different room to escape problematic noises.

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

"There's an expectation to socialize with family, and I wish to, but it's exhausting on all levels.

"The sensation is this sudden rage comes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel panicked and begin to weep and then the stress response will take over.

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

Three Ways to Cope

If you suffer then there are a few methods you can attempt to manage the situation, according to clinical psychologists.

1. Visualise a Different Scenario: Imagination is key. Work on connecting the particular sound affecting you with an unrelated image. For instance, try to imagine someone's slurping is just a waterfall. This technique is to help your brain learn that the sound triggering you isn't harmful.
2. Try a Competition: Have a bit of fun and turn the annoying sound into a competition involving the source. For example, if someone is crunching loudly have a go at copying the noise. By mimicking, instead of feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an willing part. And the game aspect should help distract your brain and make you somewhat less sensitive.
3. Develop a Narrative: One more method is to try to fabricate an explanation about why the person creating the sound is having to make that sound. For example if someone was sniffing, maybe they are not in good health or maybe they're upset. By doing this is re-framing the context of the sound. Even though the sound doesn't change, your reaction of it moves from being irritating, to feeling a bit more accepting towards it.