The Holiday Season Transforms Into a Living Hell for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.

A 23-year-old hopes for spending time with her family over the holidays, but admits a primary method she'll endure is by relying on her hearing protection - notably for the holiday meal.

For the 23-year-old, Christmas can be a notably tough period as the auditory triggers of other people chewing, slurping and nose-blowing cause her extremely uncomfortable.

"I experience this feeling of instant dread, my whole body will just tighten and it as though I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to somehow control these sounds."

She has suffered from sound sensitivity for several years and for her that makes the Christmas time "incredibly overwhelming".

Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to specific noises, notably sounds coming from those around you.

It's surprisingly common across the population. A study reported a significant portion of people experience it.

Typically it's noises linked to eating or drinking that cause distress, along with things like chewing, heavy breathing, and foot tapping.

'Anxiety Inducing'

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

"My family 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 make sure everyone else is happy."

So it's clear why the most wonderful period can rapidly become a stressful ordeal for sufferers.

Noises that may appear innocuous, like someone drinking champagne, opening presents, or eating the holiday meal can trigger a visceral feeling that can even result in them skipping events entirely.

She, a university student, who has experienced sound sensitivity for over a decade, states currently her plan is to use headphones to get through dinner. Usually, she would usually isolate herself in a separate space to minimize distressing triggers.

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

"There's an expectation to be around family, and I desire to, but it's exhausting on all levels.

"I feel as if this uncontrollable anger washes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel anxious and immediately start crying and then panic will kick in.

"It can come across as if I'm being difficult and dramatic, but it's hard to explain unless you've experienced it."

Several Strategies to Cope

For those affected then there are some different techniques you can attempt to manage the situation, according to clinical psychologists.

1. Imagine an Alternative: Mental imagery is crucial. Work on connecting the particular sound causing distress with something completely different. So for example, try to picture someone's noisy drinking is just a sink draining water. The goal is to help your brain learn that the sound triggering you poses no threat.
2. Try a Competition: Use lightheartedness and make the irritating noise into a competition involving the source. As an example, if someone is crunching loudly have a go at joining in. By mimicking, instead of feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an engaged person. And the game aspect should help redirect your focus and make you a little less affected.
3. Create a Scenario: One more method is to try to create a little story about why the person creating the sound is having to make that sound. So if someone was sniffing, maybe they are not feeling well or maybe they're upset. By doing this is re-framing the context of the sound. Even though the noise doesn't change, your interpretation of it shifts from being irritating, to feeling a little more neutral towards it.