The Holiday Season Often Proves to Be a Terrifying Experience for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.

Lottie anticipates seeing her relatives this Christmas, but says one of the only ways she'll cope is by relying on her hearing protection - notably for the holiday meal.

For her, Christmas can be a particularly difficult time as the sounds of other people chewing, drinking noisily and sniffling cause her profound anxiety.

"I experience this sensation of immediate anxiety, my whole body will just tighten and it as though I'm in danger, and I need to manage these triggers."

Lottie has suffered from misophonia from a young age and for her that makes the festive season "deeply taxing".

Misophonia is a decreased threshold to particular auditory triggers, notably sounds made by individuals.

The condition is widespread in the UK. A study found almost one in five people experience it.

Typically it's noises connected to bodily functions that cause distress, as well as examples such as crunching, breathing, and pen clicking.

Triggering Stress

The sufferer notes: "You encounter so many various auditory triggers at the holidays and that can be anxiety inducing and make you dread it.

"My relatives are understanding, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a internal conflict of sacrificing my own sanity to guarantee others enjoy themselves."

So it's clear why the most wonderful season can rapidly become a living nightmare for sufferers.

Triggers that may appear innocuous, like someone drinking champagne, unwrapping gifts, or eating the holiday meal can cause a powerful reaction that can even result in them skipping events entirely.

Jenna, a young adult, who has struggled with sound sensitivity from childhood, explains the approach she intends to use is to listen to music to manage the meal. Typically, she would often retreat in a quiet area to minimize problematic noises.

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

"There is pressure to spend time with family, and I want to, but it's draining.

"The sensation is this uncontrollable anger comes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel panicked and begin to weep and then fight-or-flight will kick in.

"It may seem as if I'm being difficult and dramatic, but it's hard to explain unless you've experienced it."

Three Ways to Handle It

If you suffer then there are some different techniques you can use to handle the situation, as suggested by clinical psychologists.

1. Imagine Something Else: Creative thinking is key. Attempt to link the specific noise causing distress with something completely different. So for example, try to imagine someone's slurping is just a waterfall. The goal is to retrain your mind that the sound affecting you poses no threat.
2. Make it a Game: Use lightheartedness and turn the annoying sound into a challenge involving the source. As an example, if someone is crunching loudly attempt mimicking the sound. By mimicking, rather than feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an engaged person. And the challenge should help redirect your focus and make you slightly more tolerant.
3. Craft a Story: One more method is to try to create a little story about why the person making the noise is having to make that sound. For example 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. While the sound remains identical, your interpretation of it changes from being aggravating, to feeling a bit more accepting towards it.