Christmas Transforms Into a Terrifying Experience for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.

A 23-year-old is looking forward to seeing her loved ones during the festive period, but notes a primary method she'll endure is by wearing her hearing protection - especially during the holiday meal.

For her, the holidays is a notably tough time as the noises of family members munching, slurping and breathing heavily make her feel extremely uncomfortable.

"There's this wave of immediate anxiety, my entire being will just tighten and it feels like I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to stop these triggers."

Lottie has experienced sound sensitivity from a young age and for her that causes the Christmas time "deeply taxing".

Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to certain sounds, particularly those produced by other people.

It is prevalent in the UK. Experts reported a significant portion of people experience it.

Often it's noises linked to eating or drinking that lead to discomfort, as well as things like chewing, heavy breathing, and pen clicking.

A Source of Dread

Lottie says: "I face so many different triggering sounds at the holidays and that can be daunting and make you dread it.

"My relatives are understanding, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a really big battle of sacrificing my own sanity to make sure others enjoy themselves."

So it's easy to understand why the traditionally happy season can quickly turn into a source of agony for sufferers.

Sounds that may appear innocuous, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or enjoying festive food can trigger a powerful reaction that can even lead to them avoiding social settings altogether.

The student, a university student, who has dealt with misophonia for over a decade, explains currently her plan is to listen to music to get through dinner. Typically, she would usually isolate herself in a separate space to minimize problematic noises.

She explains her misophonia is worse around people she's most comfortable with, so the holidays is always "hard".

"There is pressure to spend time with family, and I desire to, but it's exhausting on all levels.

"It's like this sudden rage washes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel panicked and burst into tears and then fight-or-flight will kick in.

"To others it appears as if I'm being difficult and overreacting, but it's hard to explain unless you've experienced it."

A Few Techniques to Handle It

If you suffer then there are some different techniques you can try to cope the situation, according to experts.

1. Imagine Something Else: Creative thinking is essential. Work on connecting the specific noise causing distress with something completely different. For instance, try to picture someone's slurping is just a gentle stream. By doing this is to retrain your mind that the sound triggering you isn't harmful.
2. Make it a Game: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a challenge involving the source. For instance, if someone is crunching loudly try copying the noise. Through participation, instead of feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an engaged person. And the game aspect should help distract your brain and make you a little less affected.
3. Craft a Story: One more method is to try to fabricate an explanation about why the person creating the sound is having to make that sound. So if someone was making a nasal sound, perhaps they're not at their best or could be emotional. By doing this is changing the meaning of the sound. Although the sound doesn't change, your understanding of it moves from being annoying, to feeling a slightly more compassionate about it.