Tell me about your sensory issues!

[Foreverfox]

I hate the feeling of a random hair getting stuck in my fingers or having wait hair or hair clippings stuck on my fingers. Props to hair stylists, because just no.

On the same note, I hate washing my hands unless I can dry with a paper towel. Hand towels just gross me out, they seem like they're constantly wet. I also hate stepping in wet unless I'm supposed to be, like if someone spills something on the floor and I step in it. It drives me nuts, because I always walk around the house in socks and I have to change socks.

The sound of people chewing with their mouth open is absolutely repugnant. It triggers me something fierce and the eye twitches come out.

I also have a really hard time with unsolicited noise. Even if the volume is really low, I am always honed in to it and it sounds much louder than it actually probably is.

Last thing I can think of would be photosensitivity. It's almost always too bright outside for me and I squint and I always feel like I'm mean-muggin people lol. Sunglasses are my friend. I also keep my screen brightness on all my devices super low.

 

[DarkDesertFox]

My hearing is pretty sensitive so when someone talks above a certain volume it makes my head hurt. This is a double whammy being an introvert in public spaces. All these loud noises and crowds saps my energy quick due to how overwhelming it all is. I am also pretty sensitive to light. Not having sunglasses in the summer is like a death wish for me.

 

[EmmaFrost]

I hate touching paper after my hands were recently wet and dried. The way paper feels in this case is gross and it makes my skin crawl. When I was a kid I was obsessed with reading and I hated being asked to do the dishes because it would mean I couldn't read for like an hour because the pages would feel disgusting to the touch.

My brain has a very specific reaction to music. I can only describe it as lighting up like a Christmas tree and then blinking lights constantly. And I'm a musical person so I involuntarily start like, drumming and harmonizing and stuff in my mind and it's uncontrollable. This reaction is kind of draining and so I need to conserve my music listening energy. I only want to hear music if I'm willingly playing it for that purpose. When my brain is expecting it and can be immersed in it. I hate when my brain has to process music that I'm not playing willingly, like music on commercials, or when I can hear my neighbours music, or music in shows/movies that is unexpected. TL;DR my brain has a unique way of processing music and it can be an issue to hear unexpected/uncontrollable music in my environment.

 

[Bluelady]

Touch: Normal
Smell: Below average. Often my family will pick up on a scent like gas (for example) while I don’t.
Sight: Poor. I’m near sighted and have astigmatism so I hate driving at night because of this.

Spoiler

Hearing: Too sensitive. It’s helpful at times like when I’m trying to pinpoint the direction of a siren. However, it’s also annoying in my daily life. I can hear the high pitch noise when my Nintendo Switch Lite is charging. I become overstimulated when too many people are talking at the same time. Fourth of July is hell to me because of the bang from fireworks.
Taste: I could just be a picky eater…but the texture of food can make me feel disgusted even if I did like the flavor.

 

[LittleMissPanda]

Food textures for sure.... If something feels way too foreign I just automatically want to spit it out, and chances are I do spit it out. It's stuff like yogurt with bits of fruit or whatever other thing in there, I find that real gross. And when I bite into a sandwich or chicken wing and feel something out of place, I just spit it out, I don't care where I am or who is with me, but I do it into a napkin. I'm a really picky eater.

If I move around rapidly I get vertigo and need to sit down or just stop moving altogether otherwise I feel like I'm going to fall over from dizziness. This tends to happen at work the most because I need to multitask but you would think I'd get over it after years of working. I also get carsick rather easily. Does sleep paralysis count as a sensory issue? Because I suffer that from time to time. Fortunately episodes have decreased over the years.

While flashing lights don't have an immediate negative effect on me there has been some instances of strobe lights/flashing in general just being too much to look at. No history of epilepsy in my family.

Touching certain things does bother me, yes, because of the texture or the sounds they make, such as chalk, cotton balls and styrofoam. I also like to wet my hands if they feel like "they don't belong to me anymore" as weird as that sounds.

As for sounds, I am bothered by other people's noise but I am comforted by listening to stuff I put on myself, such as certain music or videos, and I really enjoy listening/watching/doing things in repetition.

Smells....well as long as it doesn't stink I'm fine. Not too sensitive but not dull either.

 

[Shawna]

I have NF Type 1 and am on the spectrum, so my conditions naturally come with sensory issues.

- I HATE wearing pants, especially jeans!! They are extremely uncomfortable. It feels like someone grabbing at my legs. ._.
- I can be sensitive to brightness.
- Strobing effects can drive me insane. I do not get seizures, but they can make me feel extremely uncomfortable.
- I am very sensitive to sound! My dad likes to blare music to 200+ decibels. And OMG IT HURTS MY EARS!!! And I would DREAD fire drills back when I was in school.
- I am very sensitive and picky when it comes to food textures.

 

[ZeldaCrossing64]

-I cannot stand jeans and leggings, especially when I wear them outside during winter and my legs start to get irritated.
-My eyesight is a little blurry and hard to see far-away things, and my sense of smell is practically non-existent.
-My ears are sensitive and it seems like that I'm surrounded by 200 decibels everyday! And yet it's hard to listen to things like music.

 

[WhiteLily210]

Sight- So terrible I can't read anything in front of me lol. Bright light hurts as well
Sound- Sudden noises are like jumpscares, very loud noise overwhelms me quickly and silence makes me anxious
Smell- anything strong causes headaches. Especially citrus
Taste- the texture of certain foods can cause me to hate it. I can't seem to stand mint or anything sour either
Touch- skin so sensitive its ridiculous. Any lotion that isn't what I usually use burns. Tags feel terrible and any jewelry feels like it's squeezing me.

I know it's a ton but that's just what I live with. Also not sure if it's a sensory thing but going out for too long hurts? For some reason? And it only gets worse until I go home or have a meltdown.

 

[-Mars-]

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[visibleghost]

i'm autistic and have always had issues with sounds and touch. coped by listening to music every second of the day in school to shut out noise and going outside on walks between classes (still listening to music) for a break from people.
i avoided hugs for years and years too but nowadays i'm a little better with them. i still rarely touch people and can feel really uncomfortable if touched unexpectedly or without preparing myself for it. i also always wear long sleeves and long pants because of sensory issues with clothing feeling weird and touching/not touching me in certain places. it is MUCH worse if somebody touches my arm directly than if they touch my arm through my sleeve, i don't know why but yeah. i can't wear certain types of outdoor clothes (such as rain pants (???? is that the word) or skiing pants u know. . .., and certain types of noisy jackets) because i absolutely cannot stand my legs making noise or feeling them touch while walking. i hate having my jacket make noise as well but that's just because of the sound, not my arms touching anything.

sensory input in general exhausts me and if i'm overwhelmed i have to lie in a dark, quiet room to rest and recover. it is much better nowadays when i don't struggle as much with mental illness and don't spend 8 hours a day in school

 

[TurnipBell20]

I hate when my fingertips touch, especially when I feel my pulse. It’s the most disgusting feeling. And I hate when one fingernail goes under the other. I can’t even see it when other people do it. And I hate feeling my own pulse (I mentioned that above in relation to the fingertips because it’s the worst there).

 

[MadisonBristol]

I have issues with almost all of my senses, which is common for autistic people like me.

Taste - I'm extremely sensitive to bitter, spicy, and minty stuff. I'm just very picky since I'm a supertaster. Also I don't think I taste sweetness as well, since sometimes I'll have something kind of sweet, and everybody else finds it unbearable. Coffee in particular, since I have to add lots of sugar.
Smell - None really. My only sense with no issues that I can think of.
Touch - Lots of textures and stuff. I usually hate being touched. Also I have this weird thing where if I feel something on one side of my body, I'll have to have that feeling on the other side.
Sight - Flashing lights are so annoying. Not just strobe lights (why do they exist‽), but also lightbulbs that aren't working properly. Also I desperately need new glasses.
Hearing - Auditory processing disorder. I have trouble understanding people when they talk, and I need them to repeat. Sometimes I ask them then immediately figure out what they said. Oh, and so many annoying noises. I really hate repetitive noises, loud background noise, or just anything too loud. Right now with 5 parakeets tweeting, a YouTube video, and a filter for my sister's frogs and fish, I'm getting a headache. Easiest sense to overload.

 

[-Blue-]

My senses are all pretty keen. So it's annoying to be able to smell your redneck neighbors burning their trash from so far away and no one else can smell it. That and their dirty wet wood they burn.

 

[Aquilla]

Lately I’m really struggling with light. Bright daylight seems to stab my eyes and gives me headaches and I can only move around outside when I squint or wear shades. Even artificial light is bothering me in the evening. I’m a true cave goblin it seems.

I’m really looking forward to warmer temperatures so I don’t have to wear all these layers and long sleeves anymore. Most shirts I own feel weirdly raspy and uncomfortable when I put them on. I used to only feel that way about wool, but now my cotton tops have a weird stabby itchiness to them as well… maybe my skin is just really dry

 

[Kitsuragi]

Lately I’m really struggling with light. Bright daylight seems to stab my eyes and gives me headaches and I can only move around outside when I squint or wear shades. Even artificial light is bothering me in the evening. I’m a true cave goblin it seems.

same hat, i'm pretty sensitive to light suddenly. i think it has to do with being inside for so long since i used to be outside more often but being outside when its sunny is blinding. finally got around to getting prescription sunglasses and it was a worthy investment

edit: old thread but i got diagnosed with migraines B)

 

[Kamex]

Sight: I'm nearsighted, so I have trouble seeing and reading things that are far away from me. In addition, I often squint when I see things at a distance. Like at college, I try to sit close to my professor so I can take notes more easily. I also wear glasses to help see things more clearly. Besides that, I'm sensitive to bright lights. I prefer sleeping away from the window so the sunlight doesn't shine at my face when I wake up in the morning.
Touch: I don't like touching rough surfaces.
Taste: I'm sensitive to spicy food.
Smell: Some types of deodorant smell horrible to me. I also hate the smell of fish, it's nauseating.
Hearing: I don't like loud noises in general.

 

[RemMomori]

I've always had an issue with smells. It's like my nose is more sensitive to strong smells. Like when a smell is too strong it would give me a headache and make me upset. My brother likes to put a lot of ketchup on his food and I have to eat away from him or the smell would overwhelm me. Also when my parents put a lot of seasoning on their food when cooking it is really strong and I would have to close the door to my room to avoid smelling it. One time when washing dishes the smell of that night's dinner was so strong for me that I had to wear a mask while washing the dishes to avoid the headache. Also thanks for making a thread like this

 

[Aniko]

I'm mostly wearing cotton, wool and synthetic make me itchy and sweaty, I can't stand it. I don't like too tight clothes either.
I also don't like my skin touching itself, so I'm never wearing shorts, I'm always covered from head to toes, whatever the season.
I don't like feeling wind on my neck.

About the smells, I have phantosmia, which can be really annoying.

Taste: I dislike mushrooms texture

I can't stand sun or bright light, especially in Spring, the sun is too loud! It gives me headache, nausea and sucks out all my energy.

Sounds. I spent my childhood not hearing high frequencies but for some unknown reason I started hearing some once adult, not all, I still can't hear singing cards, candles, cat toys but now I can hear ringing sounds, like the phone, microwave, alarm etc... And it's unbearable!
I was even super happy when I got some infection that made me deaf again for more than a month...Ah...it's calm again...That why I love winter so much, less noise. On a sad note, for years, I was absolutely clueless about Animal Crossing nature sounds, I only discovered them when I put on the headphones. Also I didn't know the mole cricket was making a sound, I was just digging everywhere haha!

 

[michealsmells]

Theyre getting WORSE. I can't stand so many fabrics now and I feel like I'm turning into my MOTHER (who has always had sensory issues related to fabrics, specifically ones I LIKE like plushies). I can barely lay in my own bed anymore life is pain I hate.

Perhaps if I took my adhd meds for once I wouldn't die every time I touched a suede or silk or whatever the HECK my desk mat is made out of.

 

[BoundSys]

My general rule of thumb is for me soft = bad. I am a fellow bed and sock hater because the fabrics for these things are frequently So Soft that I struggle to tolerate them. Most of my friends prefer to have socks but I embrace the feeling of the cold and Solid floor right against my feet v happily if given the opportunity. I also have a weighted blanket to help me sleep now but I still sometimes dislike it's texture.

I struggle to do laundry sometimes because clothes in general are soft and I hate feeling them when I fold them. I also struggle to eat food I perceive as soft or inconsistent in texture like meat and sometimes ice cream. But ice cream I'm sad about bc I Like the taste of it and it's not always sensory heck but when it is. I am sad to have one less comfort food.

I actually purposefully scratch my nails along counters sometimes because a fair amount of counters are solid w the tiniest bumps to be comforting to me to touch. So I get overstimulated and do that or even frantically rub my hands together to create sweet sweet friction. Soft and smooth bad. Hard and rough good.