Yuletide Transforms Into a Terrifying Experience for Those with Misophonia.

A 23-year-old hopes for being with her loved ones over the holidays, but notes a primary method she'll cope is by using her noise-cancelling devices - notably for the holiday meal.

In her case, the holidays often feels like a particularly difficult time as the noises of family members munching, drinking noisily and breathing heavily trigger extremely uncomfortable.

"I experience this wave of instant dread, my whole body will just freeze and it feels like I'm in peril, and I need to manage these sounds."

Lottie has lived with misophonia for several years and for her that makes the holiday period "incredibly overwhelming".

Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to specific noises, particularly those coming from individuals.

The condition is widespread across the population. Experts discovered almost one in five people suffer from it.

Often it's noises associated with mouth, throat or facial movements that trigger a reaction, along with things like chewing, heavy breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.

'Anxiety Inducing'

She explains: "You encounter so many different triggering sounds at the holidays and that can be stressful and make you dread it.

"My family are understanding, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a really big battle of enduring my distress to make sure others enjoy themselves."

So it's obvious why the supposedly joyous period can transform into a stressful ordeal for sufferers.

Sounds that may appear innocuous, like someone sipping a beverage, unwrapping gifts, or enjoying festive food can cause a visceral feeling that can even lead to them avoiding social settings altogether.

The student, a university student, who has struggled with misophonia for over a decade, states her strategy is to put her earphones in to manage the meal. Usually, she would usually isolate herself in a quiet area to avoid distressing triggers.

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

"There is pressure to be around loved ones, and I desire to, but it's exhausting on all levels.

"It's like this sudden rage takes hold, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel panicked and begin to weep and then fight-or-flight will take over.

"It can come across as if I'm being difficult and overreacting, but it's hard to explain if you haven't felt it."

Three Ways to Manage

For those affected then there are some different techniques you can attempt to manage the situation, as suggested by experts.

1. Imagine a Different Scenario: Creative thinking is crucial. Attempt to link the specific noise causing distress with something completely different. For instance, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a sink draining water. The goal is to retrain your mind that the sound affecting you isn't harmful.
2. Try a Competition: Use lightheartedness and make the irritating noise into a competition with the culprit. For instance, if someone is crunching loudly try joining in. By mimicking, instead of feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an active participant. And the competition element should help shift your attention and make you somewhat less sensitive.
3. Craft a Story: One more method is to try to create a little story about the reason someone making the noise is doing it. For example if someone was sniffing, perhaps they're not at their best or maybe they're upset. By doing this is changing the meaning of the sound. Although the sound stays the same, your reaction of it changes from being irritating, to feeling a little more neutral about it.