Yuletide Transforms Into a Nightmare for Misophonia Sufferers.

A 23-year-old anticipates seeing her family during the festive period, but admits one of the only ways she'll cope is by using her noise-cancelling devices - particularly at the main festive feast.

For her, this time of year can be a especially challenging period as the sounds of family members munching, sipping loudly and nose-blowing cause her profound anxiety.

"I get this feeling of immediate anxiety, my entire being will just tense up and it as though I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to stop these sounds."

Lottie has lived with misophonia since she was 16 and for her that renders the holiday period "incredibly overwhelming".

Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to certain sounds, especially noises produced by those around you.

It is prevalent amongst adults. Experts found almost one in five people are affected by it.

Frequently it's noises connected to bodily functions that lead to discomfort, along with things like chewing, breathing, and pen clicking.

A Source of Dread

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

"Those close to me are aware, 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 ensure others enjoy themselves."

So it's obvious why the most wonderful time of the year can transform into a source of agony for those with the condition.

Noises that may appear innocuous, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, opening presents, or enjoying festive food can trigger a powerful reaction that can even cause them avoiding social settings altogether.

The student, a young adult, who has experienced misophonia for over a decade, explains the approach she intends to use is to use headphones to manage the meal. On any other day, she would frequently go in a different room to avoid distressing triggers.

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

"There's an expectation to be around loved ones, and I want to, but it's exhausting on all levels.

"I feel as if this intense irritation comes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel anxious and immediately start crying and then the stress response will activate.

"It can come across as if I'm being oversensitive and overreacting, but it's tough to describe if you haven't felt it."

Three Ways to Manage

If it's an issue then there are various strategies you can use to handle the situation, based on advice from clinical psychologists.

1. Imagine Something Else: Creative thinking is key. Work on connecting the specific noise bothering you with a neutral concept. As an illustration, try to envision someone's slurping is just a sink draining water. By doing this is to retrain your mind that the sound affecting you isn't harmful.
2. Try a Competition: Use lightheartedness and make the irritating noise into a competition with the culprit. As an example, if someone is eating noisily attempt mimicking the sound. Through participation, instead of feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an engaged person. And the challenge should help shift your attention and make you slightly more tolerant.
3. Create a Scenario: Another technique is to try to fabricate an explanation about the reason someone creating the sound is behaving that way. Imagine if someone was making a nasal sound, it could be that they're not in good health or are troubled. By doing this is changing the meaning of the sound. While the sound remains identical, your understanding of it shifts from being annoying, to feeling a slightly more compassionate about it.