Christmas Can Be a Nightmare for Those with Misophonia.

One young woman hopes for spending time with her family over the holidays, but admits a primary method she'll manage to get through it is by wearing her earplugs - particularly at Christmas dinner.

For the 23-year-old, the holidays can be a particularly difficult time as the noises of other people chewing, sipping loudly and breathing heavily make her feel profound anxiety.

"I experience this sensation of immediate anxiety, my every muscle will just freeze and it feels like I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to somehow control these sounds."

Lottie has lived with sound sensitivity since she was 16 and for her that makes the holiday period "exceptionally stressful".

Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to certain sounds, particularly those produced by those around you.

The condition is widespread in the UK. Researchers found almost one in five people suffer from it.

Typically it's sounds linked to mouth, throat or facial movements that trigger a reaction, as well as examples such as chewing, heavy breathing, and foot tapping.

Triggering Stress

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

"My family are supportive, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a internal conflict of managing my symptoms to guarantee everyone else is happy."

So it's easy to understand why the supposedly joyous time of the year can rapidly become a stressful ordeal for affected individuals.

Sounds that may seem harmless, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, opening presents, or eating the holiday meal can cause a strong emotional response that can even lead to them withdrawing from gatherings.

The student, a 21-year-old student, who has struggled with misophonia from childhood, states currently her plan is to put her earphones in to get through dinner. Typically, she would usually isolate herself in a quiet area to minimize triggering sounds.

She says her condition is worse around people she's closest to, so Christmas is always "hard".

"There's an expectation to socialize with family, and I want to, but it's exhausting on all levels.

"I feel as if this sudden rage takes hold, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel anxious and immediately start crying and then the stress response will kick in.

"It may seem as if I'm being oversensitive and melodramatic, but it's hard to explain if you haven't felt it."

Several Strategies to Handle It

If it's an issue then there are some different techniques you can attempt to manage the situation, as suggested by clinical psychologists.

1. Picture Something Else: Creative thinking is essential. Work on connecting the particular sound bothering you with something completely different. For instance, try to picture someone's noisy drinking is just a waterfall. The goal is to retrain your mind that the sound triggering you is neutral.
2. Use Humor: Use lightheartedness and make the irritating noise into a game with the person. As an example, if someone is eating noisily have a go at copying the noise. By mimicking, rather than feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an willing part. And the game aspect should help distract your brain and make you slightly more tolerant.
3. Create a Scenario: A further strategy is to try to create a little story about why the person creating the sound is behaving that way. So if someone was sniffing, it could be that they're not in good health or maybe they're upset. The idea is re-framing the context of the sound. Even though the sound stays the same, your reaction of it moves from being irritating, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.