Christmas Can Be a Terrifying Experience for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.

Lottie is looking forward to spending time with her loved ones during the festive period, but admits a key strategy she'll manage to get through it is by using her earplugs - notably for the main festive feast.

For her, the holidays can be a especially challenging period as the noises of family members munching, sipping loudly and nose-blowing make her feel extremely uncomfortable.

"There's this feeling of immediate anxiety, my every muscle will just freeze and it feels like I'm in danger, and I need to somehow control these sounds."

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

Misophonia is a decreased threshold to certain sounds, especially noises produced by individuals.

The condition is widespread amongst adults. Researchers reported almost one in five people experience it.

Frequently it's noises linked to bodily functions that lead to discomfort, as well as examples such as chewing, breathing, and pen clicking.

Triggering Stress

She explains: "You encounter so many assorted problematic noises at the holidays and that can be stressful and make you dread it.

"My relatives are aware, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a constant struggle of managing my symptoms to ensure the event goes smoothly."

So it's clear why the supposedly joyous time of the year can rapidly become a source of agony for affected individuals.

Triggers that may be considered normal, like someone drinking champagne, opening presents, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can cause a strong emotional response that can even result in them avoiding social settings altogether.

She, a university student, who has experienced misophonia since aged 10, explains the approach she intends to use is to listen to music to cope. On any other day, she would usually isolate herself in a quiet area to avoid triggering sounds.

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

"There is pressure to spend time with loved ones, and I desire to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.

"It's like this uncontrollable anger washes over me, which can feel awkward, 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 melodramatic, but it's difficult to convey without firsthand experience."

Several Strategies to Handle It

For those affected then there are a few methods you can attempt to manage the situation, based on advice from experts.

1. Picture Something Else: Mental imagery is essential. Attempt to link the specific noise causing distress with a neutral concept. For instance, try to envision someone's noisy drinking is just a waterfall. This technique is to teach your brain that the sound affecting you is neutral.
2. Make it a Game: Have a bit of fun and make the irritating noise into a competition with the culprit. As an example, if someone is crunching loudly have a go at mimicking the sound. By mimicking, rather than feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an engaged person. And the game aspect should help shift your attention and make you somewhat less sensitive.
3. Craft a Story: One more method is to try to create a little story about the reason someone creating the sound is behaving that way. Imagine if someone was sniffing, maybe they are not feeling well or are troubled. The idea is re-framing the context of the sound. Although the sound stays the same, your understanding of it moves from being irritating, to feeling a little more neutral towards it.