Tell me about your sensory issues!

[Aquilla]

Are there any mundane sensory things and experiences that bother you especially? Which of your senses is better than average? Which ones not working quite as well?

I find it interesting to hear about other people’s experiences with different sensory processing. A lot of the things I find uncomfortable are no issues for my friends and vice versa and I always feel a sense of relief when I find kindred spirits who just get what I mean ^^

I struggle a lot with touch sensitivity I think. I hate wearing socks - can’t stand that my toes are being squeezed together. I also can’t wear any wool, nor wool blends. Not even cashmere or merino, which are supposed to feel good. I tried on a jumper with only 7% wool and was itching all over - my skin was all irritated and splotchy only after minutes with that thing on. Most fabrics bother me actually- cotton is my only friend.

I also can’t get myself to liking showers. I can’t understand that it’s relaxing for some people. First it’s cold - especially under my feet. Then I get water sprinkled on me unevenly. The parts that are not underwater get cold, unless I spin round and round like a kebap skewer. The water is too hot, then too cold, then too hot again. When I wash my hair, I hate the cold water droplets that drip on my back while shampooing. When I get water in my eyes it’s the worst. Once I’m done and turn off the water I’m freezing, especially my legs because the towel isn’t long enough. I hate walking around with damp feet. They never seem dry no matter how hard I scrub. The whole experience has me tense and clenching my jaw and I’m SO happy when I’m finally done with it and back in my clothes. Minus points if I forget to dry my back and put dry clothes on damp skin. Boo!

There are so many more - my sense of smell and taste are way too sharp, my eyesight is horrible etc. But I think this is enough for now ^^ would love to hear some of y’all’s experiences!

 

[.: Meri :.]

Showers are not always kind to me either—I feel like my skin gets oversensitive afterwards, and everything I'm in contact with just feels super weird and uncomfortable. First thing I usually do after my shower is to go sit somewhere quiet and dark until the urge to return to snek and shed my skin goes away.

I've also got a fairly sensitive nose and have always, always hated the detergent aisle in grocery stores. There's just too many fragrances and too much of them, it feels like I can't breathe. ;;

Also, something about tight pants/leggings/stockings/etc. just feels super uncomfy to me and I want to pick at them constantly.

 

[mocha.]

I can sympathise on the sock-front, I hate feeling my toes squished together in shoes or socks! fun fact: when I was younger I would only wear knee high socks to school because I hated the feeling of ankle socks, not really sure why because the opposite is probably more appealing to me now

My eyes are really sensitive to light (I found out it's a blue eye thing apparently. Blue eyes are a mutation and don't have as much melanin as, say, brown eyes so they absorb more light, making them more sensitive). I can only go probably an hour mid-day until my eyes start watering and I need to put my glasses on. Sometimes I sit with my eyes closed because its more comfortable haha. I haven't really come across anybody else yet who sympathises with me on that.

I also get overwhelmed by too much sound (like if im listening to a conversation and there's music on and someone is tapping their fingers/cutlery/whatever), it irritates me so much. I sometimes zone out because I find there's too much going on.

Not sure if this counts but I also hate whistling, it makes me want to deafen myself. Like, nails down a chalkboard but 10x worse.

 

[BetsySundrop]

My family has a hard time dealing with my sensory issues, lol.

Flannel hurts my teeth if I touch it. Certain kinds of fluffy material feels like chewing on tinfoil when I touch it. No tags on clothes- they gotta get ripped out.

Everything is too loud. Always. I wear earplugs and have a really, really good set of noise cancelling headphones I wear during daytime over the earplugs when I need quiet. (Thank you sony for making those most excellent headphones!!!)

Smells bother me. Nobody smells what I smell and it drives me crazy.

Other people sniffling, chewing, and breathing really bothers me for some reason.

I can't have anything on my feet at night, and go barefoot most of the summer.

Lots of things like this, lol.

Post automatically merged: Nov 25, 2021

I can sympathise on the sock-front, I hate feeling my toes squished together in shoes or socks! fun fact: when I was younger I would only wear knee high socks to school because I hated the feeling of ankle socks, not really sure why because the opposite is probably more appealing to me now

My eyes are really sensitive to light (I found out it's a blue eye thing apparently. Blue eyes are a mutation and don't have as much melanin as, say, brown eyes so they absorb more light, making them more sensitive). I can only go probably an hour mid-day until my eyes start watering and I need to put my glasses on. Sometimes I sit with my eyes closed because its more comfortable haha. I haven't really come across anybody else yet who sympathises with me on that.

I also get overwhelmed by too much sound (like if im listening to a conversation and there's music on and someone is tapping their fingers/cutlery/whatever), it irritates me so much. I sometimes zone out because I find there's too much going on.

Not sure if this counts but I also hate whistling, it makes me want to deafen myself. Like, nails down a chalkboard but 10x worse.

The eyes watering/bright light I can relate to, lol. These issues are awful, but feels better for me knowing other people deal with it too.

 

[Aquilla]

Also, something about tight pants/leggings/stockings/etc. just feels super uncomfy to me and I want to pick at them constantly.

Felt this on a spiritual level. It always takes me a while to adjust to winter and fall because I go from skirts and summer dresses to thick leggings and I hate how they hug my legs. Also what’s the deal with tights? They are always too short for my feet and I need to pull on them constantly to make room for my feet ugh!

Not sure if this counts but I also hate whistling, it makes me want to deafen myself. Like, nails down a chalkboard but 10x worse.

All whistling? One of the neighbours boys is whistling a lot when he’s playing outside. The thing is - it’s no melody. And somehow, even though it’s no melody, it’s also out of tune. It gets under my skin so much! I do like nice, non tone deaf whistling though

 

[Croconaw]

I can’t stand nails on a chalkboard or any screeching noise. I know this is very common but I try to avoid this if possible. I also don’t know if this counts, but I always wear pants. I haven’t worn shorts for over fifteen years. I just don’t like the thought of not having something covering my legs. I think pants look nicer anyway.

-snip-

I couldn’t agree more about the showers. I definitely prefer baths. I can’t stand water dripping off me and beating down on me. I’m always freezing with water dripping off me. I prefer a warm bath, thank you.

 

[daringred_]

i have a similar issue with socks but, weirdly, only when i'm laying down to go to sleep? i don't mind wearing them out and about -- or in general during winter -- but as soon as i go to sleep, i end up kicking them off. semi-related, i also hated the material of my school trousers. i almost exclusively wore skirts in my later years just because i hated touching them -- especially with my nails cut. just thinking about it makes me cringe. honestly, touching any fabric with my nails short is a nightmare. i hate it.

sound wise, the one that immediately comes to mind is my freezer. any time something scrapes against the ice on the inside, i visibly cringe. when my parents lift the tray out, i have to cover my ears because i hate the sound so much. it reminds me of metal forks on plates or nails on a chalkboard. it doesn't hurt, it's just super uncomfortable. i also have a slight aversion to loud noises. balloons popping, fireworks, dogs barking, loud bangs in general. it was much worse when i was a child though. i've adjusted to it for the most part, especially re: fireworks. i actually enjoy them now.

i can't eat vegetables because of the texture, if that counts as a sensory issue. mushrooms especially, but anything leafy too. honestly, any vegetables, and i don't know why. they don't taste very good to me either anyway, so it's not like i'm missing out aasdfghjkl.

i can't look at the sky on a clear day very well because it hurts my eyes. don't know why. it's just too bright to me, which sucks because i like looking at the sky. i have to squint and then look away within a few minutes rip. i don't even look directly or near the sun, just the sky and clouds themselves are too bright on a summer's day. same goes for snow sometimes, although we don't get it often here. maybe that's a common thing for people? idk.

 

[mocha.]

Felt this on a spiritual level. It always takes me a while to adjust to winter and fall because I go from skirts and summer dresses to thick leggings and I hate how they hug my legs. Also what’s the deal with tights? They are always too short for my feet and I need to pull on them constantly to make room for my feet ugh!



All whistling? One of the neighbours boys is whistling a lot when he’s playing outside. The thing is - it’s no melody. And somehow, even though it’s no melody, it’s also out of tune. It gets under my skin so much! I do like nice, non tone deaf whistling though

Yes, all whistling haha! When I was growing up my grandma would constantly whistle the X files theme tune (no idea why) and I’ve just grown to hate whistling after hearing that for 14 years lmao

 

[idiotdoomspiral]

Eyesight - probably worse than average person. I have glasses but never use them
Hearing - i have tinnitus like a boss
Smell - i pick up on smells that other ppl around me usually do not
Taste - idk. Probably average
Touch - the tiniest of hairs that fall on my skin drive me nuts

I hate wearing tights or any other itchy material. I'm the opposite when it comes to showers and baths i absolutely hate baths for the way they feel on my skin and showers feel very nice and good. I also have a fear of being around balloons and fire alarms, it used to be a full blown phobia but it has gotten better over the years. I can't ignore or deal with sounds like water dripping or the clock ticking especially at night it's my personal mission to kill all ticking clocks theyre stupid. When i'm out i'll pretty much always wear headphones to prevent sensory overload

 

[ams]

I can’t stand anything touching my neck. I can’t even wear crew neck shirts because the fabric is too close to my neck.

I also feel like I can’t touch styrofoam or popsicle sticks. Sometimes just looking at them makes my teeth hurt. And if someone bites on a popsicle stick I probably have to leave the room.

I also hate chewing sounds. But I think that’s a common one.

 

[moo_nieu]

every sense unfortunately. a lot of them have gotten worse over time too... pretty hard to deal with. i just have to put up with it though because thats life. ive struggled with sensory issues since i was very little. i dont really want to go into any details about it. its a shame i never got any help for it, and instead my family just called me a *****. its probably the biggest stuggle in my life to be honest. it causes problems in so many areas of life. too bad. i want to get tested for autism sometime in the future to hopefully get more resources and support to help me. but its really expensive and time consuming. maybe one day. ive been considering buying some noise reducing ear buds since sound has been the hardest for me to deal with lately, but every product i found had such mixed reviews so i felt a little overwhelmed and just gave up. i should probably look into it again now that there are more sales..

edit: whoops didnt know that word would be censored, my bad

 

[BetsySundrop]

every sense unfortunately. a lot of them have gotten worse over time too... pretty hard to deal with. i just have to put up with it though because thats life. ive struggled with sensory issues since i was very little. i dont really want to go into any details about it. its a shame i never got any help for it, and instead my family just called me a *****. its probably the biggest stuggle in my life to be honest. it causes problems in so many areas of life. too bad. i want to get tested for autism sometime in the future to hopefully get more resources and support to help me. but its really expensive and time consuming. maybe one day. ive been considering buying some noise reducing ear buds since sound has been the hardest for me to deal with lately, but every product i found had such mixed reviews so i felt a little overwhelmed and just gave up. i should probably look into it again now that there are more sales..

edit: whoops didnt know that word would be censored, my bad

Just something to think about that may help. Those small foam earplugs designed for sleeping- those help me a lot, especially at night. They are fairly cheap (couple bucks at walmart), comfortable enough for sleeping, and do a decent job helping "muffle"? noises so its not so bad.

Also- be careful with earbuds. I had some ear damage from earbuds (my fault, not great fit). Now I stick to the foam earplugs and the noise cancelling over ear headphones.

 

[Corrie]

I don't know if this is a sensory issue but I find that with wearing socks, they like, cut off my circulation and make my legs hurt enough to take a pill. But then I check and there are no red lines from the bands so they clearly aren't cutting off circulation. It's strange but it makes me wanna go bare feet always.

 

[Blueskyy]

I just always hate having 2 or 3 conversations going on around me in a room. I contribute to one but then find myself still focusing on another a bit too and it’s just a lot lol

My mom hates the feel of yarn. We had an old afghan blanket and if she had to touch it she screamed and freaked out lol

 

[Beanz]

when i was little i used to have this thing where i hated the texture/material of seatbelts especially in my dad’s and grandma’s car so i used wear the seat belt but hold it above myself so it wouldn’t touch me, i still hate certain seatbelts but this was more of an issue in the past. yes i know that was unsafe idk if i would consider that a sensory issue tho

 

[LadyDestani]

My eyesight is terrible. I am extremely near-sighted and have an astigmatism in my left eye. Lately, I've been having issues with glare while driving at night, especially if it's raining. I need to talk to my eye doctor about it, but I don't plan on scheduling an appointment until early next year. I just have to be extra careful until then. I'm not sure if this is weird or not, but my husband says he doesn't experience it. If there is a light, like the numbers on a digital clock or buttons on electronics, and I stare at it, the light follows the movements of my head. I can make it go up and down or in circles. I've always thought it was really strange and nobody else I know understands what I'm talking about.

I'm very sensitive to tight or restrictive clothing. I only like to wear loose-fitting T-shirts and sweatshirts. Anything else makes me feel claustrophobic and I can have a panic attack and feel like I can't breathe because of it. I also can't stand wearing layers for the same reason. This makes winter pretty much unbearable to me because the clothes I can wear do not keep me warm enough.

I also can't wear anything on my head. Hats, hair clips, headphones. All of them give me headaches within minutes.

Another thing I'm very sensitive to is the texture of certain foods. I can't eat things like oatmeal at all. I can't eat anything that's even slightly burnt, not because of the taste but because of the texture.

 

[Aquilla]

every sense unfortunately. a lot of them have gotten worse over time too... pretty hard to deal with. i just have to put up with it though because thats life. ive struggled with sensory issues since i was very little. i dont really want to go into any details about it. its a shame i never got any help for it, and instead my family just called me a *****. its probably the biggest stuggle in my life to be honest. it causes problems in so many areas of life. too bad. i want to get tested for autism sometime in the future to hopefully get more resources and support to help me. but its really expensive and time consuming. maybe one day. ive been considering buying some noise reducing ear buds since sound has been the hardest for me to deal with lately, but every product i found had such mixed reviews so i felt a little overwhelmed and just gave up. i should probably look into it again now that there are more sales..

edit: whoops didnt know that word would be censored, my bad

I’m sorry to hear of your struggles. If it’s worth anything, I can share with you what works for me. I have a pair of in-ear headphones from Sony, rather cheap (will link them later). They were only about 20€. They block out a fair amount of noise. If I put on music or just white noise, I can’t hear anything else. Headphones + white noise is my go-to whenever I have to study in busy places or just don’t want to hear anything. There’s white noise on Spotify and YouTube and there might be apps with it as well. Hope you can find something helpful soon

Edit: here’s a link: https://www.amazon.de/dp/B00I3LUUIU/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_i_51S8451D1EW0HG56M27J

 

[Alienfish]

copying the headlines for this cause yes.

Eyesight - Flashing things like TV's from a distance, broke lightbulbs etc.
Hearing - Certain people's voices, not their fault but I silently react to those that sounds bad to me. Also the usual pet peeves like chewing with an open mouth, chalkboard crayons etc. Also when I hear people who doesn't even bother to pronounce my real name correctly I want to smack them. ITS NOT THAT HARD AND I AM NOT FRENCH.
Smell - very sensitive to certain stuff like snuff/snus/tobacco you put IN your mouth.
Taste - Very sensitive to textures and consistences, go figure
Touch - I absolutely cannot touch untreated wood, and i can't wear woollen clothes cause they itch like ****.

In context most of these are probably asperger things, but yeah :3

 

[Aquilla]

Oh, now that you mentioned wood I remembered another thing. I get goosebumps all over and cringe visibly every time I lick something wooden. Like popsicle sticks or wooden spoons. It only happens if the wood is untreated, it feels like the wood fibres stick to my tongue like velcro can’t get behind wooden cutlery or cooking utensils for that reason.

 

[.: Meri :.]

Oh, and I forgot to mention a food texture issue I have—I cannot deal with small seeds (like tomato or chia seeds) in soups or sauces. I'm fine with them in other things, and I can tolerate the seeds in tomato slices because I like tomato, but in any sort of liquid it's enough to make me shudder.