Yuletide Often Proves to Be a Nightmare for Those with Misophonia.

Lottie is looking forward to seeing her loved ones this Christmas, but says one of the only ways she'll cope is by using her earplugs - especially during the main festive feast.

For her, this time of year is a particularly difficult period as the sounds of family members munching, sipping loudly and breathing heavily trigger intense distress.

"I experience this wave of instant dread, my whole body will just tense up and it feels like I'm in peril, and I need to stop these triggers."

The individual has lived with this condition since she was 16 and for her that makes the Christmas time "incredibly overwhelming".

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

The condition is widespread in the UK. A study reported almost one in five people experience it.

Typically it's noises linked to mouth, throat or facial movements that cause distress, as well as things like crunching, heavy breathing, and foot tapping.

Triggering Stress

She explains: "I face so many different triggering sounds at Christmas and that can be anxiety inducing and make you want to avoid it.

"My relatives are understanding, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to upset others. It's like a internal conflict of managing my symptoms to make sure others enjoy themselves."

So it's easy to understand why the traditionally happy time of the year can transform into a source of agony for affected individuals.

Noises that may seem harmless, like someone sipping a beverage, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or enjoying festive food can cause a strong emotional response that can even cause them withdrawing from gatherings.

Jenna, a young adult, who has dealt with misophonia since aged 10, explains her strategy is to listen to music to manage the meal. Usually, she would frequently go in a different room to avoid triggering sounds.

She notes her condition is more intense around people she's closest to, so Christmas is always "hard".

"There is pressure to socialize with loved ones, and I desire to, but it's draining.

"I feel as if this intense irritation comes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel anxious and begin to weep and then the stress response will take over.

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

Three Ways to Handle It

For those affected then there are various strategies you can attempt to manage the situation, as suggested by specialists.

1. Imagine Something Else: Creative thinking is crucial. Try to associate the specific noise affecting you with something completely different. As an illustration, try to envision someone's slurping is just a sink draining water. This technique is to teach your brain that the sound triggering you isn't harmful.
2. Make it a Game: Have a bit of fun and make the irritating noise into a game involving the source. As an example, if someone is crunching loudly have a go at mimicking the sound. By mimicking, instead of feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an active participant. And the competition element should help redirect your focus and make you a little less affected.
3. Create a Scenario: One more method is to try to create a little story about the reason someone creating the sound is doing it. So if someone was sniffing, perhaps they're not in good health or are troubled. The idea is changing the meaning of the sound. Even though the noise doesn't change, your reaction of it shifts from being annoying, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.