The Holiday Season Can Be a Terrifying Experience for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.

A 23-year-old hopes for spending time with her family during the festive period, but says one of the only ways she'll endure is by relying on her noise-cancelling devices - notably for the holiday meal.

For the 23-year-old, the holidays is a especially challenging season as the noises of family members munching, sipping loudly and nose-blowing cause her extremely uncomfortable.

"I get this sensation of immediate anxiety, my every muscle will just tense up and it seems as if I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to manage these noises."

Lottie has suffered from misophonia from a young age and for her that makes the holiday period "exceptionally stressful".

Misophonia is a decreased threshold to particular auditory triggers, notably sounds made by those around you.

The condition is widespread in the UK. A study found a significant portion of people experience it.

Typically it's sounds linked to mouth, throat or facial movements that lead to discomfort, including things like chewing, breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.

'Anxiety Inducing'

Lottie says: "I face so many various auditory triggers at Christmas and that can be stressful and make you dread it.

"My family are understanding, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to upset others. It's like a constant struggle of sacrificing my own sanity to ensure the event goes smoothly."

So it's obvious why the traditionally happy season can quickly turn into a stressful ordeal for affected individuals.

Triggers that may appear innocuous, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or enjoying festive food can trigger a powerful reaction that can even lead to them avoiding social settings altogether.

She, a university student, who has dealt with sound sensitivity for over a decade, explains the approach she intends to use is to put her earphones in to cope. Typically, she would usually isolate herself in a separate space to escape triggering sounds.

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

"People assume you to spend time with loved ones, and I desire to, but it's draining.

"I feel as if this intense irritation takes hold, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel panicked and begin to weep and then panic will activate.

"It may seem as if I'm being difficult and overreacting, but it's hard to explain unless you've experienced it."

Three Ways to Cope

For those affected then there are some different techniques you can use to handle the situation, according to clinical psychologists.

1. Visualise an Alternative: Creative thinking is crucial. Work on connecting the triggering sound causing distress with something completely different. So for example, try to imagine someone's slurping is just a sink draining water. By doing this is to help your brain learn that the sound affecting you poses no threat.
2. Try a Competition: Use lightheartedness and turn the annoying sound into a challenge involving the source. For example, 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 active participant. And the competition element should help redirect your focus and make you a little less affected.
3. Create a Scenario: A further strategy is to try to invent a reason about why the person creating the sound is doing it. Imagine if someone was sniffing, maybe they are not at their best or could be emotional. The idea is re-framing the context of the sound. While the sound doesn't change, your understanding of it changes from being annoying, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.