The Holiday Season Can Be a Living Hell for Misophonia Sufferers.

Lottie is looking forward to spending time with her relatives during the festive period, but says a primary method she'll endure is by relying on her noise-cancelling devices - notably for the holiday meal.

In her case, this time of year can be a notably tough time as the auditory triggers of other people chewing, sipping loudly and nose-blowing cause her intense distress.

"I get this wave of immediate anxiety, my entire being will just tighten and it seems as if I'm in danger, and I need to somehow control these sounds."

She has experienced misophonia from a young age and for her that makes the Christmas time "exceptionally stressful".

Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to certain sounds, notably sounds made by other people.

It is prevalent amongst adults. Researchers discovered nearly 20% people are affected by it.

Frequently it's noises associated with mouth, throat or facial movements that lead to discomfort, along with things like crunching, heavy breathing, and pen clicking.

A Source of Dread

The sufferer notes: "I face so many assorted problematic noises at Christmas and that can be anxiety inducing and make you dread it.

"My relatives are supportive, but I'm very aware that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a constant struggle of enduring my distress to ensure the event goes smoothly."

So it's easy to understand why the most wonderful period can transform into a stressful ordeal for affected individuals.

Noises that may be considered normal, like someone drinking champagne, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or eating the holiday meal can provoke a strong emotional response that can even lead to them avoiding social settings altogether.

She, a 21-year-old student, who has dealt with misophonia from childhood, says the approach she intends to use is to listen to music to cope. Typically, she would usually isolate herself in a separate space to escape triggering sounds.

She notes her sensitivity is more pronounced around people she's most familiar with, so Christmas is always "hard".

"There's an expectation to socialize with family, and I desire to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.

"I feel as if this uncontrollable anger takes hold, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel stressed and immediately start crying and then fight-or-flight will kick in.

"It can come across as if I'm being unreasonable and dramatic, but it's difficult to convey without firsthand experience."

Several Strategies to Cope

If you suffer then there are a few methods you can attempt to manage the situation, based on advice from specialists.

1. Picture Something Else: Imagination is essential. Try to associate the triggering sound causing distress with a neutral concept. So for example, try to picture someone's noisy drinking is just a waterfall. By doing this is to teach your brain that the sound affecting you is neutral.
2. Make it a Game: Use lightheartedness and make the irritating noise into a competition involving the source. For example, if someone is eating noisily try copying the noise. By joining in, rather than feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an engaged person. And the competition element should help redirect your focus and make you a little less affected.
3. Create a Scenario: Another technique is to try to invent a reason about why the person creating the sound is behaving that way. Imagine if someone was making a nasal sound, maybe they are not feeling well or could be emotional. By doing this is altering the perception of the sound. Although the sound stays the same, your understanding of it shifts from being irritating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate towards it.