11/01/2024
As a person living with Auditory Perception issues who can be very overwhelmed especially by cacophonies of echoey sounds, I can empathise with this. I have on occasion had to leave rooms because I can't think & find it distressing to the point it hurts. It can properly kick in the fight, flight freeze response.
Noise can be much louder than usual at special events like birthday parties or funerals, not only at Christmas or New Year. It can cause great distress, I have on several occasions witnessed the husband of a wife who has died, sitting huddled in bewilderment after a funeral as everyone else is thriving, often helped by the ādrinksā.
For many it is something that is difficult to cope with at any time, and these more public times seem to be more so. At any time, raised voices, loud music, or too many people talking at once is distressing. I often notice in the restaurant if there are more people than usual, unfamiliar visitors or even a resident with a loud strident voice, there can be a lot of distress and some will leave without finishing their meal.
Some mange this by always coming very early or very late. Our staff are very long suffering and accept this. Perhaps reduced hearing in later years has some advantages!
