Yuletide Can Be a Nightmare for Those with Misophonia.

Lottie is looking forward to being with her loved ones over the holidays, but admits a key strategy she'll cope is by relying on her hearing protection - notably for the main festive feast.

In her case, Christmas can be a especially challenging time as the auditory triggers of people eating, sipping loudly and breathing heavily make her feel extremely uncomfortable.

"There's this sensation of sudden panic, my entire being will just tense up and it feels like I'm in peril, and I need to somehow control these noises."

Lottie has lived with sound sensitivity since she was 16 and for her that renders the holiday period "exceptionally stressful".

Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to certain sounds, particularly those made by individuals.

The condition is widespread in the UK. Experts found nearly 20% people suffer from it.

Frequently it's sounds connected to eating or drinking that lead to discomfort, including things like crunching, heavy breathing, and foot tapping.

'Anxiety Inducing'

Lottie says: "I face so many different triggering sounds at Christmas and that can be anxiety inducing and make you fear it.

"Those close to me are aware, but I'm very aware that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a constant struggle of sacrificing my own sanity to guarantee everyone else is happy."

So it's easy to understand why the most wonderful season can quickly turn into a source of agony for sufferers.

Triggers that may appear innocuous, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, opening presents, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can cause a strong emotional response that can even lead to them skipping events entirely.

The student, a 21-year-old student, who has dealt with sound sensitivity since aged 10, explains the approach she intends to use is to put her earphones in to get through dinner. Usually, she would usually isolate herself in a separate space to avoid problematic noises.

She explains her misophonia is worse around people she's most familiar with, so the holidays is always "hard".

"There's an expectation to be around loved ones, and I desire to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.

"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 panic will take over.

"It can come across as if I'm being oversensitive and melodramatic, but it's tough to describe unless you've experienced it."

Several Strategies to Cope

For those affected then there are some different techniques you can use to handle the situation, based on advice from specialists.

1. Visualise Something Else: Creative thinking is key. Attempt to link the particular sound bothering you with something completely different. For instance, try to envision someone's noisy drinking is just a waterfall. By doing this is to retrain your mind that the sound affecting you isn't harmful.
2. Use Humor: Have a bit of fun and make the irritating noise into a game involving the source. For instance, if someone is eating noisily have a go at copying the noise. By mimicking, instead of feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an engaged person. And the game aspect should help redirect your focus and make you a little less affected.
3. Develop a Narrative: Another technique is to try to invent a reason about the reason someone making the noise is behaving that way. For example if someone was making a nasal sound, it could be that they're not at their best or are troubled. By doing this is re-framing the context of the sound. While the sound doesn't change, your understanding of it moves from being irritating, to feeling a bit more accepting towards it.