Christmas Can Be a Terrifying Experience for Those with Misophonia.

Lottie hopes for spending time with her family over the holidays, but notes a key strategy she'll manage to get through it is by relying on her hearing protection - particularly at the main festive feast.

In her case, this time of year can be a especially challenging time as the auditory triggers of other people chewing, drinking noisily and breathing heavily trigger extremely uncomfortable.

"I experience this wave of sudden panic, my every muscle will just freeze and it feels like I'm in danger, and I need to stop these sounds."

The individual has lived with misophonia since she was 16 and for her that renders the festive season "exceptionally stressful".

Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to specific noises, particularly those coming from individuals.

It's surprisingly common in the UK. A study reported a significant portion of people suffer from it.

Typically it's sounds connected to mouth, throat or facial movements that trigger a reaction, along with examples such as chewing, heavy breathing, and pen clicking.

'Anxiety Inducing'

Lottie says: "There are so many different triggering sounds at the holidays and that can be daunting and make you dread it.

"My family are understanding, but I'm very aware that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a really big battle of enduring my distress to ensure everyone else is happy."

So it's easy to understand why the traditionally happy time of the year can transform into a living nightmare for sufferers.

Noises that may be considered normal, like someone drinking champagne, unwrapping gifts, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can cause a strong emotional response that can even result in them withdrawing from gatherings.

The student, a young adult, who has struggled with misophonia for over a decade, explains the approach she intends to use is to put her earphones in to cope. On any other day, she would frequently go in a different room to minimize distressing triggers.

She notes her condition is worse around people she's most familiar with, so Christmas is always "challenging".

"People assume you to socialize with loved ones, and I wish to, but it's exhausting on all levels.

"It's like this sudden rage washes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel stressed and immediately start crying and then the stress response will activate.

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

Several Strategies to Manage

If it's an issue then there are various strategies you can use to handle the situation, according to specialists.

1. Imagine a Different Scenario: Imagination is essential. Work on connecting the specific noise causing distress with something completely different. So for example, try to picture someone's slurping is just a sink draining water. This technique is to help your brain learn that the sound triggering you isn't harmful.
2. Try a Competition: Have a bit of fun and make the irritating noise into a challenge with the culprit. For instance, if someone is eating noisily attempt joining in. By joining in, rather than feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an willing part. And the challenge should help redirect your focus 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 behaving that way. For example if someone was making a nasal sound, maybe they are not in good health or could be emotional. This approach is re-framing the context of the sound. Although the noise stays the same, your interpretation of it shifts from being annoying, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.