The Holiday Season Often Proves to Be a Nightmare for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.

Lottie hopes for seeing her loved ones over the holidays, but admits one of the only ways she'll manage to get through it is by wearing her noise-cancelling devices - particularly at the main festive feast.

In her case, Christmas often feels like a notably tough time as the auditory triggers of family members munching, drinking noisily and sniffling make her feel extremely uncomfortable.

"I get this feeling of instant dread, my entire being will just tighten and it seems as if I'm in danger, and I need to manage these sounds."

Lottie has lived with sound sensitivity for several years and for her that renders the Christmas time "deeply taxing".

Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to specific noises, notably sounds coming from individuals.

It is prevalent in the UK. Researchers reported a significant portion of people are affected by it.

Often it's sounds connected to eating or drinking that cause distress, as well as examples such as crunching, heavy breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.

'Anxiety Inducing'

The sufferer notes: "There are so many different triggering sounds at Christmas and that can be anxiety inducing and make you want to avoid it.

"My relatives are aware, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a internal conflict of sacrificing my own sanity to ensure the event goes smoothly."

So it's obvious why the traditionally happy period can rapidly become a stressful ordeal for affected individuals.

Triggers that may be considered normal, like someone drinking champagne, opening presents, or enjoying festive food can provoke a powerful reaction that can even result in them avoiding social settings altogether.

The student, a university student, who has experienced sound sensitivity since aged 10, says the approach she intends to use is to listen to music to cope. On any other day, she would frequently go in a different room to avoid distressing triggers.

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

"There's an expectation to be around loved ones, and I desire to, but it's draining.

"It's like this sudden rage takes hold, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel panicked and begin to weep and then the stress response will take over.

"It may seem as if I'm being difficult and melodramatic, but it's hard to explain unless you've experienced it."

Several Strategies to Handle It

If you suffer then there are some different techniques you can use to handle the situation, as suggested by clinical psychologists.

1. Picture a Different Scenario: Mental imagery is crucial. Work on connecting the specific noise affecting you with a neutral concept. As an illustration, try to envision someone's slurping is just a waterfall. 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 competition involving the source. For example, if someone is crunching loudly try copying the noise. By mimicking, rather than feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an active participant. And the competition element should help distract your brain and make you slightly more tolerant.
3. Create a Scenario: A further strategy is to try to fabricate an explanation about why the person making the noise is doing it. So if someone was sniffing, maybe they are not at their best or are troubled. The idea is changing the meaning of the sound. While the sound doesn't change, your interpretation of it moves from being annoying, to feeling a slightly more compassionate towards it.