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What are your sensory issues?

I'm a major sensory seeker/avoider. Some things I love- being squeezed, feeling some smooth textures like glass, tearing perforated paper. I also find looking at some things or images to be calming. Awful things- the feel of magazine pages, cardboard, or newspapers, anything that's supposed to be super-soft or microfiber feels really awful, light touches like hairs on me or the short sleeve of someone's shirt sitting next to me on the couch makes me angry. Every time my husband opens our door, even if I know it's coming, the sound of it grinding on the door frame makes me jump out of my skin. I also get really disoriented and anxious when there's a lot of sound and movement, i.e. crowded restaurants, fire drills, parties. Pretty much wedge myself in a corner with one person I know and try to stay sane.

Luckily because of where I work, I can work around most of my stuff without looking strange.
 
Uhm ... my hearing senses are very high ... and it's very annoying sometimes... sometimes I find it very hard to sleep cause I can hear the ticking of the clock from the next room from mine ... or when people are talking outside, in the parking lot, even though I'm at 4th floor and my windows are shut ... light bothers me sometimes... gives me headaches, or at least my eyes hurt ...
also I hate it when people touch me (exept few friends and family members) ... when I'm in the bus I seek the seat most isolated, if I can't find it and I'm not in a hurry, I wait for the next bus... if not... well I have to endure a little bit of hell:wacko:
 
My sensory issues are mainly sound related, but also touch. I can't handle the feel of certain fabrics and I don't like having to touch/hug people.
 
Bright sunlight/cigarette smoke (sensitive eyes), being repetitively stroked, turtle necks, wearing pajamas or clothes of any sort to bed.
 
I'm sensitive to bright light and certain noises. I get very anxious, for example, if people are walking around and talking outside my bedroom door. Even if they're not shouting or banging about, I still feel on edge.
 
Noise. Noise. Noise. I hate it.

Unless... I'm creating it. If I'm in the right kind of mood, I can cope with really loud music, as I kind of lose myself in it. But anyone else's music, or any uninvited noise upsets and angers me.

Also, I can be sensitive to touch. I think it's only when I'm stressed though. It makes me jump or feel very uncomfortable and hot.

And temperature is a funny one. I'm either too hot or too cold. I don't think I'm ever "just right". :no:
 
I can't take noises. My least favorite holiday has got to be Independence Day. I also can't take fire drills at my school, so I have to be notified ahead of time. I feel so stupid going out of the school before everyone else, but sudden loud noises will make me scream and cause everyone to laugh at me.

Also, too many people will make me extremely uncomfortable. I've gone to a couple parties that had an inordinate amount of people, and I've actually started crying because I couldn't take all the noise and all the people everywhere. One time, at a New Years' party, before I was diagnosed with Aspergers, it got so bad that I hid in a closet for two hours.
 
I can't take loud noises at all. At school, I have to be told ahead of time if we're having a fire drill. I feel so stupid going out before everyone else, but I know that if I stay in, I'll scream when the alarm goes off and everyone will laugh at me.

I also can't stand large parties with an inordinate amount of people due to the sheer noise, and, more often than not, terrible smells from food (another sensitivity). I have occasionally even started crying because it was just too much for me. One time, at a New Years' party before I was diagnosed with Aspergers, the noise became so unbearable, and I was about to have a meltdown, I ran into a closet and hid there for two hours.
 
I hate loud noises, strong smells, weird textures, bright lights and being touched by anyone except my wife. I am easily startled by noises and I tend to get irritated if there is too much noise around me. Bright lights, especially fluorescents, are difficult. With sun glasses I can deal with outside light but indoors I prefer offset lighting; I like to illuminate my rooms like a church or cathedral...very dim. Touching has always been a problem for me. I have learned to deal with shaking hands which seems to be a necessary part of human interaction (at least in the US) but anything more than that is difficult. I hate casual hugs, slaps on the back, squeezes on the arm or any sort of casual touching. I especially hate when I am traveling on a plane and have to deal with passengers who insist on spilling over into my seat. I end up trying to make myself smaller and smaller until I am all cramped up. But at least then I am no longer being touched.
 
i'm super sensitive to food textures and certain sounds like whistling and nails scratching seat belts or pants. i do not like to be touched at all by anybody, which is awkward to explain to family that it's nothing personal against them. there's also stretches of road i don't like driving on because they've been repaved with the rocks and the vibrations in the car make my skin crawl. though i actually HAVE to drive them to get to school, i can only touch the wheel with my wrists, because the vibrations in my hands are too much.
 
Hum... I have a list:

1. Unexpected loud noises - Scare me. Make me jump like a cat and scream like a little girl. Then I get angry because I was scared and probably interrupted in whatever I was doing.
2. Subtle Sounds - Break my concentration. I can't even think if there's a TV on and I can hear it. Also keep me from sleeping.
3. Light (BAD) - I can't sleep if there's is light. Even the stand-by LED on electronics keep me awake. I need *TOTAL* darkness.
4. Light (GOOD) - I can't find anything on a dark room. If I'm doing something, I need lights, lots of it. Think 2 or 3 lamps with a 150-watt bulb each.
5. Cold - A mere 50 degrees feels like sub-zero to me.
6. Clorox Smell - Gives me headache. Even when it is diluted in water and used to clean the bathroom. Few hours later I still smell it and get a headache.
 
You know I realized that loud sudden noises send me into a panic (things like a balloon popping or cheerleaders doing cheers while I'm trying to work {FYI they were bagging grogeries at my store today).
 
Oh yes... balloons popin'.... terror! I'm always looking at the balloon, thinking: "it's gonna pop! it's gonna pop! it's gonna pop!!!". Then I stop looking at it for a second and bam! and I get scared.
 
RubenX said:
Oh yes... balloons popin'.... terror! I'm always looking at the balloon, thinking: "it's gonna pop! it's gonna pop! it's gonna pop!!!". Then I stop looking at it for a second and bam! and I get scared.
Click to expand...

I can relate exactly. That reminds me of one day in elementary school; it was a field day, and we went in to play a game, and it involved having to sit on a balloon to make it pop. I was so afraid to do that, and I couldn't do it, and it made my team lose. They were so mad at me. I eventually had to leave the gym, because I couldn't take the noise.
 
I hate balloons popping as well, even if I know it's going to happen. Actually, it's worse then, because I know I won't be able to control my reaction to the loud, sudden noise. If I pretend I don't see someone preparing to pop it, I stay tensed to flinch but at least my startled-ness makes sense.

I have synesthesia, so loud noise or dis-harmonious combinations of noise bother me, as well as un-rhythmic noise when I'm reading or talking. I also have very sensitive hearing, so I can often hear the hum of fluorescent lighting, which gets annoying after a while.
 
Selcouth said:
I hate balloons popping as well, even if I know it's going to happen. Actually, it's worse then, because I know I won't be able to control my reaction to the loud, sudden noise. If I pretend I don't see someone preparing to pop it, I stay tensed to flinch but at least my startled-ness makes sense.

I have synesthesia, so loud noise or dis-harmonious combinations of noise bother me, as well as un-rhythmic noise when I'm reading or talking. I also have very sensitive hearing, so I can often hear the hum of fluorescent lighting, which gets annoying after a while.
Click to expand...

Hum... I'm gonna investigate about this synesthesia because, I'm very very sensitive as well. Do you know these new TVs that when you turn then off they don't really go off, they just go on stand-by... and the ON-Led changes from Blue to Red... well, I can hear the hum of that led and I have to unplug the TV completely. Also, when I'm renting a house I make sure that no basketball paraphernalia is near by. A basketball hitting the floor 5 houses away is enough to keep me awake.
 
I have problems with strong smells, loud noises including music and I seem to have very sensitive hearing which causes me problems. Bright lighting can also be a problem. I don't like light or unexpected touch; if someone touches me lightly it makes me feel like I need to pull away.
 
Certain types of voices (like high-pitched squeaky cartoon character voices, balloons popping or rubbing together, sudden loud noises, clattering/clanking noises, any shrill sound like people who whistle, constant chitter-chatter sounds, any alarms beeping buzzing or ringing, the phone ringing <----ALL make me cover my ears & could cause a zone-out melt-down or compel me to head for the hills.

I can't stand touch, hugging, squeezing, hand-holding kissy huggy touchy feeliness.

HAIRINESS in a person (male or female). A guy shook my hand several years ago at a social function I got dolled up & dragged off to. He had pale white hands with all this black hair all over the backs of them & hairy knuckles!!! I remember how the hairs curled around a gold signet ring he was wearing. I almost screamed & ran away! That squishy hairy crunch! I feared I was going to vomit or hit the poor man with my purse. He was a normal polite enough guy who meant no harm: this was just the way his body was made. Be that as it may, my throat still catches when I think about it.

I have really crappy depth & distance perception. I can't tell by looking if a pattern like carreaux ( square floor tiles) are a coloured pattern on a flat surface or a combination of set in squares & grout. Stairs are difficult because it's hard fro me to tell the last one from the floor & how deep each step is. I over reach & spill stuff or don't reach far enough & miss. I often can't tell if something has depth or is a flat pattern. I bang into doorways & can sense the slightest angling of a surface & lose balance. To others, I can look like a tipsy woman staggering on a flat floor whereas I'm a stone sober one trying to maintain equilibrium on a floor my senses say is crooked! I have mentioned to people in certain settings that I have 'balance issues' so if they see me suddenly reel sideways or trip over a flat surface with no obstacles on it, they know I'm not a drunk! this makes driving VERY challenging & I've developed a bunch of compensatory strategies to prevent me from being a hazard on the road.
When it comes to stopping at a traffic light, for ex, I stop when I can see the tires of the car ahead of me: I won't go closer or I risk ramming him in the derri?re.

I take a mental snapshot of the landmarks in an area: I can never really 'see' the streets & turn-offs so I know that when a certain restaurant is on my left & the car dealership is on my right, I turn a certain way to go somewhere. Without these cues, I can get lost on my own street! Also changes in lighting disorient me: Everything looks different after 19h so I have different landmark cues for late driving. When I'm stopped & the car beside me moves, I'd swear I was rolling backwards. It really feels like I'm moving-so, I keep my foot firmly on the brakes, look at something stationary like a stop sign or a traffic light NOT at anything or anyone that's moving.

Fluorescent lighting or certain other bright 'boutique' lighting can make me sick to where I get a migraine & pass out.

My clothing sensory issues could fill a book so I won't bore you with the details.
 
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