How does a sensory overload feel like

[onlything]

Hi there. Just found this and seem rather accurate. Posted just for information.

 

[Gracey]

Thanks, I think.
I managed 53 seconds of it. The lady tapping her pen and foot and the buzz of the overhead lighting, just about my limit.

I could feel apprehension beginning on watching the opening street scenes.
Maybe that set me up for wanting the noise of the tapping and buzzing of lights to stop?

 

[Lady Penelope]

Yeah .. that's pretty close to it. Now my head hurts

 

[Judge]

Too much unwanted input coming from multiple directions and in multiple forms. Where there usually involves a threshold of a "breaking point" and a flight/fight response.

Enough said. Makes me uncomfortable just to discuss it, let alone visualize or hear it.

But then I reflect on this very minute, when the only thing I sense is the sound of my refrigerator and the plumbing next door. Not quite silence, but I'm grateful for the lack of intrusive sounds at this time of day.

 

[Coupe]

I definitely agree with @Judge . Being asked questions or asked to do something while trying to deal with all the unwanted input can only make matters worse, as well.

 

[The Midge]

What a shame that the sound is not working on my PC at the moment.

 

[onlything]

What a shame that the sound is not working on my PC at the moment.

Such a shame... No migraine for you

 

[Chance]

What a shame that the sound is not working on my PC at the moment.

You dont want it to right now... You were just granted a blessing : )

 

[Chance]

Hi there. Just found this and seem rather accurate. Posted just for information.

Its really pretty good... I also know how hard it would be to recreate it for viewing.
I would be running to find a place to be by myself, not running into a restaurant...
I sort of tremble and things kind of have an overlap echo, and I didn't notice blurred out of focus vision... Things don't go cartoon like that, things just get very intense, then it all fades away and so do I... My fear is what if someday I don't come back? I actually worry about that, because sometimes I don't want to go back.

Nor do I swat at any one. He's a kid I get that...
It was a very good attempt at something that I don't know could ever really be recreated, but with our technology who knows... : )

 

[SusanLR]

It is a good animation. But, there are things with a sensory overload that seems almost impossible to portray to one who has never experienced it. With special effects in some movies I've seen it shown pretty close.
I remember putting cotton in my ears around age 12-13 when I had to go for a car ride. The sounds from the car, the cars around the car, the street noises, any heavy equipment working, and the dreaded passing of an ambulance siren or firetruck. I never told anyone I had the cotton in my ears, my hair hid it.

Then there is the light. The sun reflecting off something, headlights at night, anything that is strobe like in light motion. One thing that really got me and still does is driving along a road that has trees along side with the sun behind them. That flickering motion.

Too many voices close around me in stores, retaurants, etc. Then add someone verbally talking in a pushy, scolding voice. "Come on. What are you doing? We've got to get going." or "Can't you answer a simple question? I'm talking to you. Don't you understand what I'm saying?" Geez, it's like a few seconds of taking time to process before speaking is a criminal offense and seen as really F'd up if I'm not in a rush in everything.

These are all things that can put me into a shut down.
I can't think. I can't find the right word that I know I know. I feel like my mind is in a fog. Things seem spacey, unreal. I feel my head could spin and sometimes I do get dizzy from it.
No need to try to get someone who hasn't been there to understand. And I too sometimes fear my mind might disassociate and I couldn't come back. Although my psych has assured me that won't happen even though it is a mild form of dissociative disorder.

 

[Chance]

It is a good animation. But, there are things with a sensory overload that seems almost impossible to portray to one who has never experienced it. With special effects in some movies I've seen it shown pretty close.
I remember putting cotton in my ears around age 12-13 when I had to go for a car ride. The sounds from the car, the cars around the car, the street noises, any heavy equipment working, and the dreaded passing of an ambulance siren or firetruck. I never told anyone I had the cotton in my ears, my hair hid it.

Then there is the light. The sun reflecting off something, headlights at night, anything that is strobe like in light motion. One thing that really got me and still does is driving along a road that has trees along side with the sun behind them. That flickering motion.

Too many voices close around me in stores, retaurants, etc. Then add someone verbally talking in a pushy, scolding voice. "Come on. What are you doing? We've got to get going." or "Can't you answer a simple question? I'm talking to you. Don't you understand what I'm saying?" Geez, it's like a few seconds of taking time to process before speaking is a criminal offense and seen as really F'd up if I'm not in a rush in everything.

These are all things that can put me into a shut down.
I can't think. I can't find the right word that I know I know. I feel like my mind is in a fog. Things seem spacey, unreal. I feel my head could spin and sometimes I do get dizzy from it.
No need to try to get someone who hasn't been there to understand. And I too sometimes fear my mind might disassociate and I couldn't come back. Although my psych has assured me that won't happen even though it is a mild form of dissociative disorder.

Thats a very good written example... Riding in a car, boat, plane the noise doesn't bother me. I guess I associate that noise as a necessity for that vehicle to operate so it doesn't register the same as other noises... Same with me running a lawn mower or running any piece of equipment. Yes, they are too loud, but I have my headphones on, but those noises are a part of what I am doing so the trigger just isn't there.

We can go to the drag strip and my car is extremely loud, even with ear plugs, no problem, but others drain me when they are revving them or one of them backfires. A movie theater is too much these days. We went and saw the latest Pirates of the Caribbean, (great movie) but it was so loud it would vibrate my body. I made it through. We went in the afternoon. It was a new place that serves food and stuff while you watch. Afterwards, I just felt like going to sleep somewhere. It somehow made me feel not dizzy, but just disoriented maybe, and I still had to drive over 100 miles to get back home... I spent most the movie looking down to stop so much of the flashing that I start noticing (hard to explain).

Good job! : )

 

[onlything]

Its really pretty good... I also know how hard it would be to recreate it for viewing.
I would be running to find a place to be by myself, not running into a restaurant...
I sort of tremble and things kind of have an overlap echo, and I didn't notice blurred out of focus vision... Things don't go cartoon like that, things just get very intense, then it all fades away and so do I... My fear is what if someday I don't come back? I actually worry about that, because sometimes I don't want to go back.

Nor do I swat at any one. He's a kid I get that...
It was a very good attempt at something that I don't know could ever really be recreated, but with our technology who knows... : )

I know what you mean, @Chance. When I was a teenager, one day I disappeared but I didn't return. I spent time in a constant fog, automatically doing things expected from me and nothing more. I would come back only sometimes when I was alone, disappearing again this time from my own volition to fantasy worlds of my books and games. I literally disappeared for a few years and it was scary and a big relief at the time. If you would go to my school, you'd see laughing and playing together and that one weird kid sitting on the floor with always absent look on her face.

I came back a year after I changed schools. Lack of bullying and a person that wanted to be my friend helped.

Disappearance is a way of our minds to keep us protected. Imagine yourself as a scared child hiding in a dark hole whenever light falls closer. When the child thinks the danger is not imminent, it will slowly crawl out. Still, it will come back to the safety of the hole every time something endangers it.

 

[Chance]

I know what you mean, @Chance. When I was a teenager, one day I disappeared but I didn't return. I spent time in a constant fog, automatically doing things expected from me and nothing more. I would come back only sometimes when I was alone, disappearing again this time from my own volition to fantasy worlds of my books and games. I literally disappeared for a few years and it was scary and a big relief at the time. If you would go to my school, you'd see laughing and playing together and that one weird kid sitting on the floor with always absent look on her face.

I came back a year after I changed schools. Lack of bullying and a person that wanted to be my friend helped.

Disappearance is a way of our minds to keep us protected. Imagine yourself as a scared child hiding in a dark hole whenever light falls closer. When the child thinks the danger is not imminent, it will slowly crawl out. Still, it will come back to the safety of the hole every time something endangers it.

My guess is our subconscious just takes over our bodies and thats where the blank stare comes from, not sure? When I go away, I'm not even aware of anything around me. When I come back I feel embarrassed and just really unsure of what happened. But when I disappear... I'm free, yet I have no physical abilities, maybe I just sort of jump back into non-physical mode like when we aren't in human bodies... I know that sounds so freaking weird, but its the truth of maybe how I feel. Nothing can hurt me, because nothing can even get to me. Being sadly honest... I like it when I disappear. Its where I can find peace, maybe thats why I don't want to come back and face the chaos sometimes.

 

[SusanLR]

But when I disappear... I'm free, yet I have no physical abilities, maybe I just sort of jump back into non-physical mode like when we aren't in human bodies... I know that sounds so freaking weird, but its the truth of maybe how I feel.

That doesn't sound weird at all to me.
I do believe in a dimension of not being in a physical body.
There is consciousness. But, take away all the physical being that isn't really needed if we didn't have a body.

 

[pjcnet]

I often feel uncomfortable in busy places and interacting in busy places causes me anxiety to the extent that I will try to avoid doing it at all if possible, E.g. I hate ordering at a busy bar or queuing up in a busy self service takeaway. It's certain sounds in certain situations that can bother me to excess however, normal outdoor sounds when I'm outdoors doesn't really trigger too much anxiety on it's own, but noises from neighbours when I'm inside my flat, especially music and also listening to knocks Etc. when neighbours move about can drive me nuts (I live in a low rise flat with a couple of neighbours). It's very difficult as I've had neighbours that have driven me utterly crazy in the past causing me severe anxiety that I struggle to control, yet I know it would be wrong to complain to my housing association as deep down I know the sounds aren't truly excessive and the problem is myself not being able to ignore them like most people can. I would really love to learn how to overcome this anxiety which can really upset me, I know these sounds can't truly hurt me, so why do they cause so much extreme anxiety? Why do they also cause obsession where I can be watching neighbours worrying about their activities just in case they cause noise, the worst is if a neighbour moves out as I will stress massively in case a new noisy neighbour moves in after them and I plead with my Housing Association to be extra careful who they let move in (luckily they do try to listen to my needs as being sensitive to certain noise, well at least so far). Also noises outside bother me when I can hear them in my flat, especially cars in the car park nearby when I also hear music. I actually sit in my flat with all my curtains drawn 24/7 to attempt to shut out the outside world, I often feel that I'd be happy just to be left in total peace to use my computer all the time with no other interaction with people (I've tried ear mufflers and listening to music via headphones, but I then feel uncomfortable that might not be-able to hear something that I might need to).

 

[onlything]

I often feel uncomfortable in busy places and interacting in busy places causes me anxiety to the extent that I will try to avoid doing it at all if possible, E.g. I hate ordering at a busy bar or queuing up in a busy self service takeaway. It's certain sounds in certain situations that can bother me to excess however, normal outdoor sounds when I'm outdoors doesn't really trigger too much anxiety on it's own, but noises from neighbours when I'm inside my flat, especially music and also listening to knocks Etc. when neighbours move about can drive me nuts (I live in a low rise flat with a couple of neighbours). It's very difficult as I've had neighbours that have driven me utterly crazy in the past causing me severe anxiety that I struggle to control, yet I know it would be wrong to complain to my housing association as deep down I know the sounds aren't truly excessive and the problem is myself not being able to ignore them like most people can. I would really love to learn how to overcome this anxiety which can really upset me, I know these sounds can't truly hurt me, so why do they cause so much extreme anxiety? Why do they also cause obsession where I can be watching neighbours worrying about their activities just in case they cause noise, the worst is if a neighbour moves out as I will stress massively in case a new noisy neighbour moves in after them and I plead with my Housing Association to be extra careful who they let move in (luckily they do try to listen to my needs as being sensitive to certain noise, well at least so far). Also noises outside bother me when I can hear them in my flat, especially cars in the car park nearby when I also hear music. I actually sit in my flat with all my curtains drawn 24/7 to attempt to shut out the outside world, I often feel that I'd be happy just to be left in total peace to use my computer all the time with no other interaction with people (I've tried ear mufflers and listening to music via headphones, but I then feel uncomfortable that might not be-able to hear something that I might need to).

Sounds very similar to what I'm going through. I had to buy a sleeping mask because my roommate can't stand closed curtains and it drove me crazy. Neighbours, flatmates, roommates - their voices, steps, laughs, cooking, music, sometimes even breathing after especially tiring day. I found Italian flatmates especially tiring even if very kind, outgoing and accepting of my stims. People are just loud.

What I despise the most are arguments. When people start fighting, shouting, crying, especially when I hear a child in distress as well, it brings me close to either complete shutdown or full-blown panic attack but I think it's connected more to my PTSD than the sensory triggers themselves.