Christmas Transforms Into a Nightmare for Those with Misophonia.

Lottie hopes for seeing her family during the festive period, but admits a key strategy she'll manage to get through it is by wearing her earplugs - notably for the holiday meal.

For the 23-year-old, Christmas often feels like a notably tough period as the sounds of people eating, slurping and sniffling make her feel profound anxiety.

"I get this feeling of immediate anxiety, my entire being will just freeze and it seems as if I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to stop these noises."

Lottie has lived with this condition for several years and for her that causes the Christmas time "deeply taxing".

Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to certain sounds, particularly those coming from those around you.

It's surprisingly common across the population. A study discovered almost one in five people experience it.

Often it's noises associated with eating or drinking that lead to discomfort, including things like chewing, heavy breathing, and foot tapping.

Triggering Stress

She explains: "You encounter so many various auditory triggers at the holidays and that can be daunting and make you fear it.

"My family are supportive, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to upset others. It's like a really big battle of managing my symptoms to guarantee everyone else is happy."

So it's easy to understand why the supposedly joyous season can quickly turn into a source of agony for affected individuals.

Noises that may be considered normal, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, opening presents, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can trigger a strong emotional response that can even cause them avoiding social settings altogether.

The student, a young adult, who has experienced sound sensitivity for over a decade, says currently her plan is to listen to music to manage the meal. Usually, she would usually isolate herself in a quiet area to avoid distressing triggers.

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

"There is pressure to be around loved ones, and I wish to, but it's exhausting on all levels.

"It's like this uncontrollable anger takes hold, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel panicked and burst into tears and then panic will activate.

"To others it appears as if I'm being difficult and overreacting, but it's tough to describe if you haven't felt it."

Three Ways to Cope

For those affected then there are a few methods you can attempt to manage the situation, according to clinical psychologists.

1. Visualise a Different Scenario: Mental imagery is crucial. Try to associate the particular sound bothering you with something completely different. For instance, try to envision someone's noisy drinking is just a sink draining water. By doing this is to teach your brain that the sound triggering you is neutral.
2. Try a Competition: Use lightheartedness and turn the annoying sound into a game with the culprit. As an example, if someone is crunching loudly try copying the noise. By mimicking, rather than feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an willing part. And the game aspect should help redirect your focus and make you a little less affected.
3. Craft a Story: Another technique is to try to create a little story about why the person creating the sound is behaving that way. For example if someone was making a nasal sound, maybe they are not feeling well or could be emotional. By doing this is re-framing the context of the sound. Although the sound stays the same, your reaction of it moves from being annoying, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.