Yuletide Can Be a Living Hell for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.

One young woman anticipates seeing her loved ones this Christmas, but notes a key strategy she'll endure is by wearing her hearing protection - notably for the holiday meal.

For the 23-year-old, the holidays can be a notably tough season as the sounds of other people chewing, drinking noisily and breathing heavily make her feel intense distress.

"I experience this sensation of instant dread, my whole body will just tighten and it seems as if I'm in peril, and I need to somehow control these triggers."

Lottie has experienced sound sensitivity from a young age and for her that causes the Christmas time "deeply taxing".

Misophonia is a decreased threshold to particular auditory triggers, particularly those made by individuals.

It is prevalent across the population. Experts reported almost one in five people suffer from it.

Frequently it's sounds associated with eating or drinking that trigger a reaction, as well as things like chewing, breathing, and pen clicking.

Triggering Stress

The sufferer notes: "There are so many different triggering sounds at Christmas and that can be stressful and make you fear it.

"Those close to me are aware, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a really big battle of enduring my distress to guarantee everyone else is happy."

So it's obvious why the most wonderful season can transform into a living nightmare for those with the condition.

Noises that may seem harmless, like someone sipping a beverage, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can trigger a visceral feeling that can even cause them avoiding social settings altogether.

She, a 21-year-old student, who has experienced misophonia for over a decade, states the approach she intends to use is to put her earphones in to manage the meal. Typically, she would often retreat in a quiet area to avoid distressing triggers.

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

"People assume you to be around family, and I wish to, but it's draining.

"It's like this uncontrollable anger comes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel stressed and burst into tears and then fight-or-flight will activate.

"It may seem as if I'm being unreasonable and overreacting, but it's tough to describe unless you've experienced it."

A Few Techniques to Cope

If it's an issue then there are various strategies you can try to cope the situation, according to clinical psychologists.

1. Imagine a Different Scenario: Creative thinking is crucial. Work on connecting the triggering sound affecting you with an unrelated image. So for example, try to picture someone's slurping is just a sink draining water. The goal is to teach your brain that the sound affecting you poses no threat.
2. Use Humor: Have a bit of fun and make the irritating noise into a game involving the source. As an example, if someone is eating noisily try mimicking the sound. Through participation, rather than feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an willing part. And the game aspect should help redirect your focus and make you somewhat less sensitive.
3. Create a Scenario: A further strategy is to try to invent a reason about why the person making the noise is doing it. For example if someone was making a nasal sound, it could be that they're not at their best or maybe they're upset. By doing this is altering the perception of the sound. Even though the sound stays the same, your interpretation of it shifts from being annoying, to feeling a little more neutral about it.