Christmas Often Proves to Be a Terrifying Experience for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.

Lottie anticipates spending time with her family this Christmas, but admits a primary method she'll cope is by relying on her noise-cancelling devices - especially during Christmas dinner.

For the 23-year-old, this time of year often feels like a notably tough season as the auditory triggers of family members munching, drinking noisily and breathing heavily cause her intense distress.

"I experience this sensation of instant dread, my whole body will just tense up and it seems as if I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to somehow control these sounds."

Lottie has experienced sound sensitivity for several years and for her that causes the festive season "exceptionally stressful".

Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to particular auditory triggers, notably sounds produced by those around you.

It's surprisingly common in the UK. A study found nearly 20% people are affected by it.

Often it's noises linked to eating or drinking that lead to discomfort, along with examples such as chewing, breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.

A Source of Dread

The sufferer notes: "There are so many assorted problematic noises at Christmas and that can be stressful and make you want to avoid it.

"My relatives are supportive, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a constant struggle of managing my symptoms to guarantee others enjoy themselves."

So it's obvious why the supposedly joyous time of the year can rapidly become a stressful ordeal for affected individuals.

Noises that may be considered normal, like someone sipping a beverage, unwrapping gifts, or enjoying festive food can trigger a strong emotional response that can even cause them skipping events entirely.

She, a 21-year-old student, who has dealt with misophonia since aged 10, says currently her plan is to put her earphones in to manage the meal. On any other day, she would frequently go in a separate space to avoid triggering sounds.

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

"There's an expectation to spend time with loved ones, and I wish to, but it's exhausting on all levels.

"It's like this uncontrollable anger comes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel stressed and begin to weep and then panic will activate.

"It may seem as if I'm being difficult and dramatic, 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, as suggested by clinical psychologists.

1. Visualise Something Else: Creative thinking is crucial. Attempt to link the specific noise affecting you with an unrelated image. For instance, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a waterfall. The goal is to help your brain learn that the sound affecting you is neutral.
2. Try a Competition: Have a bit of fun and turn the annoying sound into a competition involving the source. As an example, if someone is crunching loudly try copying the noise. Through participation, instead of feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an willing part. And the competition element should help shift your attention and make you slightly more tolerant.
3. Create a Scenario: A further strategy is to try to fabricate an explanation about the reason someone creating the sound is having to make that sound. So if someone was sniffing, it could be that they're not feeling well or are troubled. By doing this is re-framing the context of the sound. Although the sound remains identical, your reaction of it moves from being annoying, to feeling a little more neutral towards it.