Christmas Transforms Into a Living Hell for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.

Lottie anticipates spending time with her loved ones during the festive period, but admits a key strategy she'll endure is by relying on her hearing protection - especially during the holiday meal.

For her, Christmas often feels like a notably tough time as the sounds of people eating, slurping and breathing heavily trigger profound anxiety.

"I experience this sensation of sudden panic, my whole body will just tense up and it feels like I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to somehow control these triggers."

Lottie has experienced misophonia for several years and for her that causes the holiday period "deeply taxing".

Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to particular auditory triggers, notably sounds coming from individuals.

It's surprisingly common amongst adults. Experts found nearly 20% people suffer from it.

Typically it's sounds connected to bodily functions that trigger a reaction, including examples such as chewing, breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.

'Anxiety Inducing'

Lottie says: "I face so many assorted problematic noises at Christmas and that can be anxiety inducing and make you dread it.

"Those close to me are aware, but I'm very aware that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a internal conflict of sacrificing my own sanity to guarantee everyone else is happy."

So it's clear why the supposedly joyous time of the year can rapidly become a living nightmare for sufferers.

Triggers that may appear innocuous, like someone sipping a beverage, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or eating the holiday meal can provoke a visceral feeling that can even lead to them skipping events entirely.

She, a 21-year-old student, who has struggled with misophonia for over a decade, says the approach she intends to use is to use headphones to cope. On any other day, she would usually isolate herself in a separate space to escape triggering sounds.

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

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

"I feel as if this uncontrollable anger washes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel panicked and begin to weep and then the stress response will take over.

"It can come across as if I'm being difficult and overreacting, but it's tough to describe without firsthand experience."

A Few Techniques to Handle It

If it's an issue then there are various strategies you can use to handle the situation, based on advice from clinical psychologists.

1. Picture an Alternative: Creative thinking is key. Work on connecting the triggering sound bothering you with something completely different. So for example, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. The goal is to teach your brain that the sound triggering you poses no threat.
2. Make it a Game: Have a bit of fun and turn the annoying sound into a competition with the person. For example, if someone is eating noisily have a go at joining in. Through participation, rather than feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an active participant. And the game aspect should help shift your attention and make you somewhat less sensitive.
3. Craft a Story: Another technique is to try to fabricate an explanation about the reason someone making the noise is behaving that way. Imagine if someone was sniffing, perhaps they're not feeling well or maybe they're upset. The idea is changing the meaning of the sound. Although the noise remains identical, your interpretation of it shifts from being irritating, to feeling a little more neutral about it.