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

Lottie hopes for being with her relatives this Christmas, but says a primary method she'll manage to get through it is by using her noise-cancelling devices - particularly at the holiday meal.

For the 23-year-old, this time of year can be a especially challenging period as the sounds of other people chewing, sipping loudly and nose-blowing trigger profound anxiety.

"I get this sensation of sudden panic, my whole body will just freeze and it seems as if I'm in danger, and I need to stop these triggers."

Lottie has lived with misophonia since she was 16 and for her that makes the festive season "exceptionally stressful".

Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to certain sounds, particularly those coming from individuals.

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

Frequently it's noises linked to mouth, throat or facial movements that trigger a reaction, as well as examples such as crunching, heavy breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.

A Source of Dread

Lottie says: "You encounter so many assorted problematic noises at the holidays and that can be stressful and make you want to avoid it.

"My family are understanding, but I'm very aware that I don't want to upset others. It's like a constant struggle of enduring my distress to ensure the event goes smoothly."

So it's easy to understand why the traditionally happy season can quickly turn into a source of agony for affected individuals.

Sounds that may be considered normal, like someone drinking champagne, unwrapping gifts, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can cause a visceral feeling that can even lead to them withdrawing from gatherings.

She, a university student, who has struggled with sound sensitivity since aged 10, states the approach she intends to use is to listen to music to get through dinner. Usually, she would often retreat in a quiet area to avoid problematic noises.

She says her condition is more intense around people she's most familiar with, so Christmas is always "hard".

"People assume you to be around loved ones, and I want to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.

"I feel as if this uncontrollable anger takes hold, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel stressed and begin to weep and then panic will activate.

"To others it appears as if I'm being oversensitive and melodramatic, but it's hard to explain if you haven't felt it."

A Few Techniques to Handle It

If you suffer then there are various strategies you can try to cope the situation, based on advice from experts.

1. Visualise an Alternative: Mental imagery is essential. Work on connecting the triggering sound bothering you with a neutral concept. As an illustration, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. By doing this is to help your brain learn that the sound triggering you is neutral.
2. Use Humor: Use lightheartedness and make the irritating noise into a game with the person. For example, if someone is crunching loudly attempt copying the noise. By joining in, rather than feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an engaged person. And the challenge should help shift your attention and make you a little less affected.
3. Craft a Story: A further strategy is to try to create a little story about the reason someone creating the sound is behaving that way. Imagine if someone was making a nasal sound, it could be that they're not feeling well or could be emotional. By doing this is re-framing the context of the sound. While the sound stays the same, your interpretation of it changes from being irritating, to feeling a little more neutral towards it.