Public transport meltdown. Coping strategies anyone?

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To cut a long story short my car got written off. I am now relying on buses to get myself to work; This pretty much eats up that all I earn in a shift as I only work part time making the whole process pointless, but that is a different story entirely!

Today I had a meltdown on the bus and spent pretty much the whole journey freaking out pretending to be asleep with my fingers in my ears!

I haven't felt like this for so long it came as a bit of surprise and I am still upset hours later. Everyone else appears to manage this simple process but I am actually considering calling in sick tomorrow now rather than facing another journey to and from.

Does anyone else have this problem? How do you cope?

Earlier I was thinking earplugs but I could still hear peoples conversations with my fingers in my ears and it was making me crazy. I could try an mp3 player but I already have really bad tinnitus and I am scared of turning the volume up loud enough to drown people out.

I think the problem lies in the proximity with the people in behind/front/next to me and the fact that I can hear them and smell them. I can usually tolerate people up to a point but today they just seemed overwhelmingly loud and annoying and the bus smelled funny.

I gave up weed a few weeks ago and now all of my senses seem to be a lot more acute. I went to the cinema with my girlfriend last week at the commercials were making me flinch because they were so loud, hence more fingers in ears looking like a freak. I am well aware of all the effects so no lectures please, I am as fine as ever emotionally just struggling now that there is nothing dulling my senses anymore and a bit sleep deprived from all the crazy unsuppressed nightmares- other experimental types will know what I mean.

I will email the disabled staff group coordinator as she is really helpful but I just don't know what to do about tomorrow. The whole situation seems even more futile because approx 60% of the money I earn in a shift goes on bus fare.

I know that I need another job but I love working at the library so much as it feels a bit like socialising without the annoying follow up and I get to practice speaking Mandarin to the students which is fun.

Hopefully I can get another car by Wednesday so the problem is not huge, just a bit shocked as I haven't freaked out in public for so long and now I feel vulnerable and doubting my ability to fit in.

Jeez this is long. Any thoughts would be welcome anyhow. I can probably reason my way through for a couple of days, just wanted some reassurance that it isn't just me!

I find listening to my MP3 player helps. You can also bring a book; don't have to actually read it, it just gives you somewhere to rest your eyes.

Have you ever tried those noise reducing ear buds for your mp3 player? I find when I use those, I am able to turn the volume down and still keep a nice amount of noise out... though that might not be doing ears any less damage what with the buds shoved in my ears so snugly... I am not sure. I really appreciate them though when I am in crowded spaces. I also find that wearing sunglasses (even though I loathe the way they feel) helps to keep my stress levels more manageable. I also agree with Lene... bring something to look at. I take a pad of paper with me as I enjoy drawing and can try to get myself focused on that rather than what is going on around me.

I have not tried many things to counter smells. I tend to be awful and just shove my sleeve over the front of my face when too many smells get to me. I think I offended some axe sporting guy who randomly sat next to me in class last week... normally no one sits by me and I do not know why he did that day, but his cologne smelled so strong... I just shoved my hoodie sleeve over my face. I do that a lot of places. I have low tolerance for places that have too many smells mixed or one weird or strong smell.

So no... it is not just you. I have flipped out in many places over things like that... one time I freaked out in a grocery store and ran out still holding a box of Boo Berry cereal. Heh heh heh. Oh the joys of too much going on... Good luck on getting the car with quickness. It is good when life can be simplified.

On a silly note... you could go all out crazy mode and wear a bandanna around your face like you are a bandit or something and somehow manage to casually say something about having swine flu or meningitis or something while twitching and coughing a lot... people would likely stay away from you then. Heh. I joke... kind of.

I have found that wearing a respirator
that I got from a hardware store
takes bad air away, it has a smell of
its own, so if one cannot stand that
smell they are in trubble.

Even nasty sewer smells are blocked
or absorbed by these paint respirators,
not the little white mask things I mean
the grey and white paint respirators
with the two thingies on either side
of the face not the single thingy
with no filters.

I usually have a really bad time, the first couples of times the bus is travelling a new route.
But when I get used to the route, the stress goes away.

So could it just be the "new-expecience" in it, that makes you uncomfortable?

My iPod is what keeps me sane on public transport. I put it on and tune out the rest of the world until it is time to get off.

Thanks people for all of your suggestions. I am going to check out the noise reducing headphones ASAP as they sound super useful.

I eventually got to work today. Still cannot believe how expensive the damned bus is! A combination of wearing my hood up, hardcore earplugs and one of my Mandarin textbooks got me through the journey. The seat next to me was the only one free on the entire bus by the time I got to my destination!

Apparantly the key is to look odd enough and to mutter to yourself in a language they don't understand.

The excessive perfume worn by someone was making me a bit sick but I managed to tune it out after a while and the ole' sleeve trick usually works if it gets too much. Maybe I will try the respirator to put people off sitting next to me if they start to get desensitised to the hood!

Feel much better now after centering myself listening to the fountains and talking to the geese. I still have to get home in a few hours but hopefully it won't be so crowded by that time.

Can't wait to pick up my car if all goes to plan. It has a tiny D-4D engine so hopefully this will make up for the extortion of the bus provider!

Thanks again