The Holiday Season Often Proves to Be a Terrifying Experience for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.

Lottie anticipates being with her loved ones during the festive period, but notes a primary method she'll endure is by using her hearing protection - especially during the main festive feast.

In her case, the holidays is a especially challenging time as the sounds of people eating, slurping and nose-blowing trigger extremely uncomfortable.

"I get this wave of immediate anxiety, my every muscle will just tense up and it as though I'm in danger, and I need to somehow control these sounds."

She has lived with this condition since she was 16 and for her that causes the holiday period "incredibly overwhelming".

Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to particular auditory triggers, notably sounds produced by other people.

It's surprisingly common across the population. A study discovered a significant portion of people experience it.

Typically it's sounds associated with eating or drinking that trigger a reaction, as well as examples such as chewing, heavy breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.

Triggering Stress

Lottie says: "There are so many various auditory triggers 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 spoil the mood. It's like a internal conflict of enduring my distress to ensure everyone else is happy."

So it's clear why the traditionally happy period can quickly turn into a source of agony for those with the condition.

Sounds that may seem harmless, like someone drinking champagne, opening presents, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can cause a strong emotional response that can even cause them skipping events entirely.

The student, a university student, who has experienced sound sensitivity from childhood, states the approach she intends to use is to put her earphones in to get through dinner. Typically, she would often retreat in a separate space to escape triggering sounds.

She says her condition is worse around people she's closest to, so the holidays is always "hard".

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

"It's like this intense irritation washes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel panicked and burst into tears and then panic will kick in.

"It may seem as if I'm being oversensitive and dramatic, but it's tough to describe without firsthand experience."

A Few Techniques to Cope

If you suffer then there are various strategies you can use to handle the situation, as suggested by clinical psychologists.

1. Visualise Something Else: Imagination is crucial. Attempt to link the particular sound affecting you with an unrelated image. For instance, try to picture someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. This technique is to help your brain learn that the sound triggering you poses no threat.
2. Try a Competition: Use lightheartedness and make the irritating noise into a competition involving the source. As an example, if someone is crunching loudly attempt joining in. By mimicking, instead of feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an engaged person. And the competition element should help redirect your focus and make you slightly more tolerant.
3. Craft a Story: One more method is to try to invent a reason about why the person creating the sound is doing it. For example if someone was making a nasal sound, perhaps they're not at their best or maybe they're upset. This approach is re-framing the context of the sound. Even though the noise remains identical, your reaction of it moves from being aggravating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate about it.