Yuletide Transforms Into a Terrifying Experience for Those with Misophonia.

Lottie is looking forward to seeing her relatives over the holidays, but says one of the only ways she'll cope is by wearing her hearing protection - especially during Christmas dinner.

In her case, Christmas can be a especially challenging period as the noises of other people chewing, slurping and breathing heavily trigger extremely uncomfortable.

"I get this feeling 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 noises."

Lottie has experienced this condition from a young age and for her that renders the Christmas time "deeply taxing".

Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to particular auditory triggers, notably sounds coming from individuals.

It is prevalent across the population. Experts reported nearly 20% people experience it.

Often it's noises linked to bodily functions that lead to discomfort, including examples such as chewing, heavy breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.

'Anxiety Inducing'

She explains: "I face so many various auditory triggers at Christmas and that can be anxiety inducing and make you want to avoid it.

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

So it's easy to understand why the traditionally happy season can rapidly become a living nightmare for those with the condition.

Triggers that may seem harmless, like someone sipping a beverage, opening presents, or eating the holiday meal can trigger a visceral feeling that can even cause them avoiding social settings altogether.

The student, a 21-year-old student, who has experienced misophonia since aged 10, explains the approach she intends to use is to put her earphones in to manage the meal. Typically, she would usually isolate herself in a quiet area to avoid problematic noises.

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

"There's an expectation to be around family, and I want to, but it's draining.

"I feel as if this uncontrollable anger takes hold, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel stressed and burst into tears and then fight-or-flight will kick in.

"To others it appears as if I'm being oversensitive and overreacting, but it's tough to describe unless you've experienced it."

A Few Techniques to Manage

If you suffer then there are a few methods you can use to handle the situation, as suggested by experts.

1. Picture Something Else: Imagination is crucial. Work on connecting the particular sound causing distress with an unrelated image. So for example, try to imagine someone's slurping is just a sink draining water. By doing this is to help your brain learn that the sound triggering you poses no threat.
2. Use Humor: Have a bit of fun and make the irritating noise into a game involving the source. For example, if someone is eating noisily try joining in. By mimicking, instead of feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an engaged person. And the challenge should help shift your attention and make you slightly more tolerant.
3. Develop a Narrative: One more method is to try to invent a reason about the reason someone making the noise is doing it. For example if someone was making a nasal sound, maybe they are not feeling well or could be emotional. This approach is altering the perception of the sound. While the sound doesn't change, your reaction of it moves from being aggravating, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.