Yuletide Transforms Into a Living Hell for Those with Misophonia.

Lottie is looking forward to spending time with her loved ones during the festive period, but notes a primary method she'll manage to get through it is by relying on her hearing protection - notably for Christmas dinner.

For her, this time of year often feels like a especially challenging period as the sounds of family members munching, slurping and sniffling make her feel profound anxiety.

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

The individual has suffered from misophonia from a young age and for her that makes the festive season "exceptionally stressful".

Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to certain sounds, especially noises coming from individuals.

It is prevalent in the UK. A study reported nearly 20% people experience it.

Typically it's sounds linked to bodily functions that cause distress, including examples such as chewing, breathing, and foot tapping.

Triggering Stress

The sufferer notes: "There are so many various auditory triggers at Christmas and that can be anxiety inducing and make you dread it.

"My family are aware, but I'm very aware that I don't want to spoil the mood. 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 most wonderful time of the year can quickly turn into a living nightmare for sufferers.

Sounds that may be considered normal, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, opening presents, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can cause a strong emotional response that can even lead to them skipping events entirely.

The student, a young adult, who has experienced misophonia for over a decade, explains currently her plan is to use headphones to manage the meal. Usually, she would often retreat in a quiet area to escape problematic noises.

She says her condition is more pronounced around people she's most familiar with, so Christmas is always "challenging".

"There is pressure to socialize with loved ones, and I desire to, but it's exhausting on all levels.

"I feel as if this intense irritation washes over me, which can feel awkward, 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 unreasonable and dramatic, but it's hard to explain if you haven't felt it."

Several Strategies to Cope

For those affected then there are a few methods you can try to cope the situation, as suggested by specialists.

1. Picture an Alternative: Creative thinking is essential. Try to associate the specific noise affecting you with something completely different. As an illustration, try to envision someone's slurping is just a waterfall. The goal is to retrain your mind that the sound triggering you is neutral.
2. Use Humor: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a competition with the culprit. For example, if someone is crunching loudly attempt mimicking the sound. 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 the reason someone creating the sound is behaving that way. For example if someone was sniffing, it could be that they're not in good health or are troubled. By doing this is changing the meaning of the sound. Although the sound doesn't change, your understanding of it moves from being aggravating, to feeling a little more neutral about it.