The Holiday Season Transforms Into a Living Hell for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.

One young woman is looking forward to being with her family this Christmas, but notes a primary method she'll endure is by using her noise-cancelling devices - particularly at the main festive feast.

For the 23-year-old, the holidays often feels like a notably tough season as the sounds of family members munching, drinking noisily and sniffling make her feel profound anxiety.

"There's this sensation of sudden panic, my entire being will just freeze and it feels like I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to manage these triggers."

She has suffered from this condition from a young age and for her that causes the festive season "exceptionally stressful".

Misophonia is a decreased threshold to certain sounds, notably sounds made by those around you.

It is prevalent across the population. Researchers found nearly 20% people are affected by it.

Often it's sounds associated with mouth, throat or facial movements that cause distress, along with things like crunching, heavy breathing, and pen clicking.

A Source of Dread

Lottie says: "I face so many various auditory triggers at the holidays and that can be daunting and make you want to avoid it.

"Those close to me are supportive, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a internal conflict of enduring my distress to ensure others enjoy themselves."

So it's clear why the supposedly joyous time of the year can quickly turn into a stressful ordeal for affected individuals.

Sounds that may appear innocuous, like someone sipping a beverage, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or eating the holiday meal can provoke a visceral feeling that can even result in them avoiding social settings altogether.

The student, a 21-year-old student, who has experienced sound sensitivity from childhood, states the approach she intends to use is to listen to music to manage the meal. On any other day, she would usually isolate herself in a separate space to escape problematic noises.

She says her misophonia is more pronounced around people she's most familiar with, so Christmas is always "challenging".

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

"I feel as if this uncontrollable anger washes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel panicked and immediately start crying and then fight-or-flight will activate.

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

A Few Techniques to Cope

For those affected then there are some different techniques you can try to cope the situation, as suggested by specialists.

1. Picture Something Else: Mental imagery is essential. Try to associate the particular sound bothering you with a neutral concept. For instance, try to picture someone's noisy drinking is just a waterfall. The goal is to retrain your mind that the sound affecting you poses no threat.
2. Make it a Game: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a competition with the culprit. For instance, if someone is crunching loudly have a go at copying the noise. By mimicking, instead of feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an willing part. And the game aspect should help redirect your focus and make you somewhat less sensitive.
3. Create a Scenario: A further strategy is to try to invent a reason about why the person creating the sound is having to make that sound. So if someone was sniffing, maybe they are not at their best or are troubled. The idea is re-framing the context of the sound. While the noise stays the same, your reaction of it shifts from being aggravating, to feeling a little more neutral about it.