The Holiday Season Often Proves to Be a Terrifying Experience for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.

One young woman is looking forward to seeing her relatives during the festive period, but notes one of the only ways she'll cope is by relying on her earplugs - particularly at the holiday meal.

For the 23-year-old, Christmas often feels like a notably tough period as the noises of family members munching, sipping loudly and breathing heavily trigger extremely uncomfortable.

"I experience this feeling of instant dread, my every muscle will just freeze and it feels like I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to stop these noises."

She has lived with this condition from a young age and for her that causes the holiday period "exceptionally stressful".

Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to specific noises, particularly those coming from those around you.

It is prevalent amongst adults. Experts found a significant portion of people experience it.

Often it's noises connected to bodily functions that lead to discomfort, as well as examples such as crunching, heavy breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.

'Anxiety Inducing'

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

"My relatives are supportive, but I'm very conscious 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 most wonderful time of the year can transform into a stressful ordeal for affected individuals.

Noises that may appear innocuous, like someone drinking champagne, opening presents, or enjoying festive food can provoke a strong emotional response that can even cause them avoiding social settings altogether.

Jenna, a 21-year-old student, who has dealt with misophonia since aged 10, explains her strategy is to put her earphones in to cope. Usually, she would usually isolate herself in a separate space to avoid problematic noises.

She explains her condition is more intense around people she's most familiar with, so Christmas is always "hard".

"People assume you to spend time with family, and I wish to, but it's exhausting on all levels.

"The sensation is this sudden rage takes hold, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel stressed and immediately start crying and then panic will kick in.

"To others it appears as if I'm being oversensitive and overreacting, but it's difficult to convey unless you've experienced it."

Three Ways to Cope

If it's an issue then there are some different techniques you can use to handle the situation, as suggested by experts.

1. Visualise an Alternative: Imagination is key. Work on connecting the particular sound bothering you with a neutral concept. So for example, try to picture someone's slurping is just a gentle stream. This technique is to help your brain learn that the sound triggering you is neutral.
2. Try a Competition: Have a bit of fun and make the irritating noise into a challenge involving the source. For example, if someone is eating noisily have a go at copying the noise. Through participation, rather than feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an engaged person. And the game aspect should help distract your brain and make you a little less affected.
3. Create a Scenario: A further strategy is to try to create a little story about the reason someone creating the sound is having to make that sound. So if someone was sniffing, perhaps they're not feeling well or could be emotional. This approach is re-framing the context of the sound. Although the noise stays the same, your understanding of it moves from being aggravating, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.