Yuletide Often Proves to Be a Nightmare for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.

A 23-year-old is looking forward to being with her family this Christmas, but says one of the only ways she'll cope is by relying on her earplugs - notably for Christmas dinner.

For the 23-year-old, this time of year can be a particularly difficult period as the noises of people eating, drinking noisily and nose-blowing cause her profound anxiety.

"I get this feeling of instant dread, my every muscle will just freeze and it as though I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to stop these triggers."

Lottie has lived with sound sensitivity since she was 16 and for her that causes the festive season "incredibly overwhelming".

Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to certain sounds, notably sounds made by individuals.

It is prevalent amongst adults. A study found almost one in five people suffer from it.

Typically it's noises connected to mouth, throat or facial movements that lead to discomfort, as well as examples such as crunching, breathing, and pen clicking.

'Anxiety Inducing'

She explains: "There are so many various auditory triggers at Christmas and that can be stressful and make you want to avoid it.

"My family are supportive, but I'm very aware that I don't want to upset others. It's like a really big battle of managing my symptoms to guarantee others enjoy themselves."

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

Sounds that may be considered normal, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or enjoying festive food can cause a strong emotional response that can even cause them withdrawing from gatherings.

She, a 21-year-old student, who has struggled with sound sensitivity for over a decade, says currently her plan is to listen to music to get through dinner. Usually, she would usually isolate herself in a separate space to escape problematic noises.

She says her condition is worse around people she's most familiar with, so the holidays is always "challenging".

"People assume you to socialize with family, and I wish to, but it's draining.

"The sensation is this sudden rage takes hold, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel anxious and burst into tears and then the stress response will take over.

"It may seem as if I'm being oversensitive and overreacting, but it's hard to explain if you haven't felt it."

A Few Techniques to Handle It

If you suffer then there are some different techniques you can try to cope the situation, based on advice from clinical psychologists.

1. Imagine Something Else: Mental imagery is key. Work on connecting the particular sound affecting you with an unrelated image. As an illustration, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a waterfall. By doing this is to help your brain learn that the sound triggering you poses no threat.
2. Try a Competition: Use lightheartedness and make the irritating noise into a competition with the culprit. For instance, if someone is crunching loudly try joining in. By joining in, instead of feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an willing part. And the challenge should help redirect your focus and make you slightly more tolerant.
3. Develop a Narrative: One more method is to try to fabricate an explanation about the reason someone making the noise is having to make that sound. Imagine if someone was making a nasal sound, it could be that they're not at their best or maybe they're upset. By doing this is changing the meaning of the sound. While the noise doesn't change, your interpretation of it shifts from being irritating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate about it.