Yuletide Often Proves to Be a Living Hell for Misophonia Sufferers.

Lottie hopes for seeing her relatives this Christmas, but notes one of the only ways she'll endure is by relying on her hearing protection - particularly at the holiday meal.

For the 23-year-old, Christmas can be a particularly difficult season as the auditory triggers of family members munching, drinking noisily and breathing heavily trigger intense distress.

"I get this wave of instant dread, my whole body will just freeze and it seems as if I'm in danger, and I need to stop these triggers."

The individual has experienced this condition from a young age and for her that makes the festive season "incredibly overwhelming".

Misophonia is a decreased threshold to specific noises, notably sounds produced by individuals.

It's surprisingly common in the UK. Researchers discovered a significant portion of people experience it.

Frequently it's sounds associated with mouth, throat or facial movements that cause distress, including things like crunching, breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.

'Anxiety Inducing'

She explains: "There are so many assorted problematic noises at Christmas and that can be stressful and make you dread it.

"Those close to me 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 quickly turn into a stressful ordeal for those with the condition.

Triggers that may appear innocuous, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can provoke a visceral feeling that can even lead to them withdrawing from gatherings.

She, a university student, who has dealt with misophonia from childhood, explains currently her plan is to put her earphones in to get through dinner. Usually, she would usually isolate herself in a different room to avoid distressing triggers.

She explains her misophonia is more pronounced around people she's closest to, so Christmas is always "difficult".

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

"It's like this intense irritation comes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel stressed 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 tough to describe if you haven't felt it."

Three Ways to Manage

For those affected then there are some different techniques you can try to cope the situation, based on advice from experts.

1. Imagine a Different Scenario: Creative thinking is crucial. Work on connecting the particular sound bothering you with something completely different. So for example, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a sink draining water. By doing this is to retrain your mind that the sound affecting you is neutral.
2. Try a Competition: Introduce playfulness and turn the annoying sound into a challenge with the person. As an example, if someone is eating noisily try copying the noise. Through participation, rather than feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an engaged person. And the challenge should help shift your attention and make you a little less affected.
3. Develop a Narrative: Another technique is to try to invent a reason about the reason someone creating the sound is having to make that sound. For example if someone was sniffing, maybe they are not at their best or are troubled. This approach is altering the perception of the sound. Although the sound remains identical, your reaction of it shifts from being irritating, to feeling a little more neutral about it.