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

Lottie hopes for seeing her family during the festive period, but admits a primary method she'll endure is by wearing her hearing protection - especially during the holiday meal.

In her case, Christmas is a notably tough time as the auditory triggers of people eating, sipping loudly and nose-blowing trigger profound anxiety.

"There's this sensation of sudden panic, my entire being will just freeze and it seems as if I'm in peril, and I need to stop these noises."

She has lived with misophonia since she was 16 and for her that causes the festive season "deeply taxing".

Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to specific noises, particularly those coming from those around you.

It is prevalent in the UK. A study reported almost one in five people suffer from it.

Frequently it's noises connected to eating or drinking that trigger a reaction, along with things like chewing, heavy breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.

Triggering Stress

She explains: "There are so many various auditory triggers at Christmas and that can be anxiety inducing and make you dread it.

"My family are supportive, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to upset others. It's like a really big battle of enduring my distress to make sure the event goes smoothly."

So it's easy to understand why the most wonderful time of the year can rapidly become a stressful ordeal for sufferers.

Triggers that may seem harmless, like someone drinking champagne, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or eating the holiday meal can provoke a powerful reaction that can even lead to them skipping events entirely.

Jenna, a university student, who has dealt with sound sensitivity from childhood, says currently her plan is to put her earphones in to manage the meal. Usually, she would often retreat in a separate space to avoid distressing triggers.

She says her sensitivity is worse around people she's most familiar with, so Christmas is always "challenging".

"There is pressure to socialize with family, and I want to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.

"It's like this uncontrollable anger washes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel anxious and immediately start crying and then the stress response will take over.

"It may seem as if I'm being unreasonable and melodramatic, but it's hard to explain without firsthand experience."

Three Ways to Handle It

For those affected then there are a few methods you can attempt to manage the situation, as suggested by clinical psychologists.

1. Visualise an Alternative: Creative thinking is essential. Try to associate the triggering sound affecting you with a neutral concept. As an illustration, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. This technique is to help your brain learn that the sound triggering you isn't harmful.
2. Try a Competition: Have a bit of fun and make the irritating noise into a competition with the culprit. For example, if someone is crunching loudly try copying the noise. By mimicking, instead of feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an willing part. And the game aspect should help distract your brain and make you slightly more tolerant.
3. Create a Scenario: A further strategy is to try to invent a reason about why the person making the noise is having to make that sound. Imagine if someone was making a nasal sound, perhaps they're not feeling well or are troubled. By doing this is changing the meaning of the sound. Even though the noise stays the same, your reaction of it moves from being aggravating, to feeling a little more neutral towards it.