The Holiday Season Can Be a Living Hell for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.

Lottie is looking forward to seeing her family during the festive period, but notes one of the only ways she'll cope is by relying on her hearing protection - notably for the main festive feast.

For her, the holidays often feels like a particularly difficult time as the noises of people eating, sipping loudly and sniffling trigger profound anxiety.

"There's this sensation of sudden panic, my whole body will just tense up and it seems as if I'm in danger, and I need to somehow control these sounds."

She has experienced this condition since she was 16 and for her that makes the festive season "incredibly overwhelming".

Misophonia is a decreased threshold to particular auditory triggers, especially noises produced by those around you.

It's surprisingly common across the population. Researchers found a significant portion of people are affected by it.

Often it's sounds connected to eating or drinking that lead to discomfort, as well as things like crunching, heavy breathing, and pen clicking.

'Anxiety Inducing'

Lottie says: "You encounter so many various auditory triggers at the holidays and that can be anxiety inducing and make you fear it.

"Those close to me are understanding, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a internal conflict of sacrificing my own sanity to ensure the event goes smoothly."

So it's easy to understand why the supposedly joyous season can rapidly become a stressful ordeal for sufferers.

Sounds that may appear innocuous, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, opening presents, or enjoying festive food can provoke a visceral feeling that can even cause them withdrawing from gatherings.

Jenna, a university student, who has experienced misophonia since aged 10, says the approach she intends to use is to use headphones to manage the meal. Typically, she would often retreat in a different room to escape distressing triggers.

She says her misophonia is more pronounced around people she's most familiar with, so the holidays is always "difficult".

"People assume you to spend time with family, and I want to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.

"It's like this sudden rage comes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel panicked and immediately start crying and then the stress response will kick in.

"It may seem as if I'm being difficult and dramatic, but it's hard to explain without firsthand experience."

A Few Techniques to Manage

If you suffer then there are some different techniques you can attempt to manage the situation, as suggested by specialists.

1. Imagine a Different Scenario: Creative thinking is essential. Attempt to link the triggering sound bothering you with a neutral concept. So for example, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a waterfall. This technique is to teach your brain that the sound triggering you is neutral.
2. Make it a Game: Have a bit of fun and turn the annoying sound into a competition with the person. For instance, if someone is eating noisily attempt mimicking the sound. Through participation, instead of feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an engaged person. And the competition element should help redirect your focus and make you a little less affected.
3. Create a Scenario: Another technique is to try to invent a reason about the reason someone creating the sound is having to make that sound. So if someone was making a nasal sound, perhaps they're not in good health or could be emotional. This approach is re-framing the context of the sound. Although the noise stays the same, your understanding of it shifts from being annoying, to feeling a little more neutral towards it.