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

A 23-year-old anticipates seeing her loved ones during the festive period, but admits a key strategy she'll manage to get through it is by using her hearing protection - particularly at the holiday meal.

For the 23-year-old, Christmas often feels like a notably tough time as the sounds of people eating, sipping loudly and breathing heavily make her feel intense distress.

"There's this sensation of instant dread, my entire being will just tighten and it as though I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to manage these sounds."

The individual has lived with misophonia for several years and for her that causes the holiday period "incredibly overwhelming".

Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to particular auditory triggers, notably sounds produced by individuals.

The condition is widespread amongst adults. Experts found nearly 20% people experience it.

Frequently it's noises linked to bodily functions that lead to discomfort, as well as examples such as chewing, breathing, and pen clicking.

A Source of Dread

Lottie says: "You encounter so many different triggering sounds at Christmas and that can be daunting and make you dread it.

"My relatives are supportive, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to upset others. It's like a constant struggle of managing my symptoms to make sure others enjoy themselves."

So it's clear why the traditionally happy season can transform into a living nightmare for sufferers.

Triggers that may appear innocuous, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can provoke a powerful reaction that can even lead to them skipping events entirely.

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 get through dinner. Typically, she would usually isolate herself in a quiet area to avoid problematic noises.

She notes her condition is more intense around people she's most comfortable with, so the holidays is always "hard".

"People assume you to be around loved ones, and I wish to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.

"It's like this sudden rage takes hold, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel stressed and immediately start crying and then fight-or-flight will kick in.

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

Three Ways to Manage

If it's an issue then there are some different techniques you can use to handle the situation, based on advice from specialists.

1. Imagine an Alternative: Imagination is essential. Work on connecting the triggering sound affecting you with a neutral concept. As an illustration, try to picture someone's slurping is just a waterfall. This technique is to teach your brain that the sound triggering you is neutral.
2. Try a Competition: Use lightheartedness and make the irritating noise into a challenge involving the source. For example, if someone is eating noisily attempt mimicking the sound. Through participation, rather than feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an active participant. And the challenge should help redirect your focus and make you somewhat less sensitive.
3. Create a Scenario: Another technique is to try to fabricate an explanation about why the person making the noise is behaving that way. Imagine if someone was sniffing, it could be that they're not at their best or are troubled. The idea is altering the perception of the sound. Although the noise remains identical, your reaction of it moves from being annoying, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.