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

Lottie anticipates seeing her family over the holidays, but admits a key strategy she'll endure is by wearing her hearing protection - notably for the holiday meal.

For her, Christmas can be a notably tough time as the noises of people eating, slurping and breathing heavily cause her extremely uncomfortable.

"There's this sensation of immediate anxiety, my whole body will just freeze and it seems as if I'm in peril, and I need to stop these triggers."

She has lived with misophonia from a young age and for her that makes the Christmas time "deeply taxing".

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

It's surprisingly common amongst adults. A study reported a significant portion of people are affected by it.

Often it's sounds connected to eating or drinking that cause distress, including examples such as chewing, breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.

'Anxiety Inducing'

She explains: "I face so many assorted problematic noises at the holidays and that can be stressful and make you fear it.

"Those close to me are aware, but I'm very aware that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a really big battle of enduring my distress to ensure the event goes smoothly."

So it's obvious why the supposedly joyous period can transform into a source of agony for those with the condition.

Triggers that may seem harmless, like someone sipping a beverage, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can provoke a powerful reaction that can even lead to them withdrawing from gatherings.

Jenna, a university student, who has struggled with sound sensitivity for over a decade, states the approach she intends to use is to listen to music to get through dinner. Typically, she would frequently go in a separate space to minimize distressing triggers.

She explains her sensitivity is more pronounced around people she's closest to, so Christmas is always "difficult".

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

"The sensation is this intense irritation washes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel panicked and burst into tears and then fight-or-flight will kick in.

"It may seem as if I'm being difficult and melodramatic, but it's tough to describe without firsthand experience."

Several Strategies to Handle It

For those affected then there are various strategies you can use to handle the situation, based on advice from experts.

1. Visualise an Alternative: Imagination is essential. Attempt to link the specific noise affecting you with an unrelated image. For instance, try to envision someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. This technique is to help your brain learn that the sound affecting you is neutral.
2. Try a Competition: Have a bit of fun and make the irritating noise into a challenge with the person. For instance, if someone is crunching loudly try mimicking the sound. Through participation, instead of feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an active participant. And the challenge should help distract your brain and make you slightly more tolerant.
3. Craft a Story: A further strategy is to try to invent a reason about why the person creating the sound is doing it. So if someone was making a nasal sound, it could be that they're not feeling well or could be emotional. The idea is re-framing the context of the sound. Even though the noise doesn't change, your reaction of it changes from being irritating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate towards it.