Yuletide Can Be a Living Hell for Misophonia Sufferers.

One young woman is looking forward to spending time with her family over the holidays, but admits a primary method she'll manage to get through it is by relying on her earplugs - notably for Christmas dinner.

For the 23-year-old, Christmas can be a particularly difficult season as the sounds of family members munching, sipping loudly and sniffling make her feel intense distress.

"There's this wave of immediate anxiety, my whole body will just tighten and it feels like I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to manage these noises."

Lottie has experienced this condition for several years and for her that causes the festive season "incredibly overwhelming".

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

It's surprisingly common in the UK. Researchers found a significant portion of people experience it.

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

A Source of Dread

The sufferer notes: "I face so many assorted problematic noises at Christmas and that can be anxiety inducing and make you fear it.

"My family are understanding, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a internal conflict of managing my symptoms to make sure everyone else is happy."

So it's obvious why the most wonderful time of the year can quickly turn into a stressful ordeal for sufferers.

Triggers that may be considered normal, like someone sipping a beverage, opening presents, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can trigger a powerful reaction that can even cause them avoiding social settings altogether.

The student, a 21-year-old student, who has struggled with misophonia from childhood, explains currently her plan is to listen to music to manage the meal. On any other day, she would frequently go in a separate space to avoid triggering sounds.

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

"There is pressure to socialize with loved ones, and I want to, but it's exhausting on all levels.

"It's like this sudden rage takes hold, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel stressed and immediately start crying and then the stress response will activate.

"To others it appears as if I'm being oversensitive and overreacting, but it's hard to explain without firsthand experience."

Three Ways to Cope

If it's an issue then there are various strategies you can attempt to manage the situation, as suggested by specialists.

1. Visualise an Alternative: Creative thinking is key. Work on connecting the particular sound bothering you with an unrelated image. So for example, try to imagine someone's slurping is just a waterfall. By doing this is to retrain your mind that the sound triggering you poses no threat.
2. Use Humor: Use lightheartedness and make the irritating noise into a competition with the person. As an example, if someone is crunching loudly have a go at joining in. Through participation, rather than feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an willing part. And the challenge should help distract your brain and make you slightly more tolerant.
3. Craft a Story: A further strategy is to try to invent a reason about why the person making the noise is doing it. For example if someone was sniffing, maybe they are not at their best or maybe they're upset. This approach is re-framing the context of the sound. Although the sound remains identical, your reaction of it changes from being aggravating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate about it.