Christmas Can Be a Terrifying Experience for Misophonia Sufferers.

Lottie is looking forward to being with her family over the holidays, but notes a key strategy she'll endure is by using her hearing protection - especially during the main festive feast.

For the 23-year-old, Christmas is a particularly difficult time as the noises of family members munching, slurping and nose-blowing trigger profound anxiety.

"There's this sensation of sudden panic, my whole body will just tense up and it feels like I'm in danger, and I need to somehow control these sounds."

She has lived with this condition since she was 16 and for her that makes the Christmas time "incredibly overwhelming".

Misophonia is a decreased threshold to certain sounds, especially noises coming from those around you.

The condition is widespread in the UK. Experts found a significant portion of people are affected by it.

Often it's sounds associated with bodily functions that trigger a reaction, as well as things like crunching, breathing, and foot tapping.

Triggering Stress

The sufferer notes: "You encounter so many various auditory triggers at Christmas and that can be daunting and make you dread it.

"My family are aware, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a really big battle of managing my symptoms to ensure everyone else is happy."

So it's easy to understand why the traditionally happy season can quickly turn into a stressful ordeal for affected individuals.

Sounds that may seem harmless, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, opening presents, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can provoke a visceral feeling that can even result in them avoiding social settings altogether.

The student, a young adult, who has dealt with sound sensitivity since aged 10, says her strategy is to put her earphones in to manage the meal. Typically, she would usually isolate herself in a separate space to avoid triggering sounds.

She says her condition is more intense around people she's most comfortable with, so the holidays is always "difficult".

"There's an expectation to be around family, and I desire to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.

"The sensation is this intense irritation takes hold, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel anxious and burst into tears and then fight-or-flight will kick in.

"To others it appears as if I'm being unreasonable and melodramatic, but it's tough to describe unless you've experienced it."

Several Strategies to Cope

For those affected then there are a few methods you can try to cope the situation, based on advice from specialists.

1. Picture Something Else: Imagination is crucial. Attempt to link the triggering sound bothering you with something completely different. For instance, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. By doing this is to teach your brain that the sound affecting you isn't harmful.
2. Use Humor: Have a bit of fun and turn the annoying sound into a competition with the person. For instance, if someone is eating noisily attempt copying the noise. By joining in, rather than feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an active participant. And the competition element should help shift your attention and make you somewhat less sensitive.
3. Craft a Story: Another technique is to try to create a little story about the reason someone creating the sound is doing it. So if someone was sniffing, perhaps they're not at their best or maybe they're upset. By doing this is changing the meaning of the sound. Even though the noise remains identical, your reaction of it shifts from being annoying, to feeling a slightly more compassionate towards it.