I can't tell if anxiety or sensory overload

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I can't tell if what i'm experiencing is anxiety or sensory overload... I do have sensory issues.. the school fire alarm was the worst. What's weird is, even though the alarm was terribly loud and hurt my ears, I didn't even react to it. Didn't put my hands over my ears or anything.. like no reaction. But it killed my ears! all day I worried about it If I knew about it. I have heard about aspies reacting differently to stimuli/pain, is this an example of it?

Anyways, I'm not sure if I'm experiencing anxiety or sensory overload. Like, in loud restuarants, I'm anxious until I get my food. (Eating food is bascially a stim, and kills the anxiety out loud resturants). I get mad at my dad when he tries to engage in conversation with me while other stimulation is going on, such as being in the car, watching tv, etc. Can anyone point out what the differences are in experiencing a sensory overstimulation vs. just anxiety? I do have anxiety issues in general (Social anxiety/general anxiety), so I'm having trouble finding out what is what

Thanks

I have the same problem too. I can't tell if it's anxiety I am having or something else. It all looks the same to me.

Sensory Hypersensitivity leads to Anxiety.






Anxiety is the nervous system's natural reaction to overstimulation.




If you live with the overstimulation long enough, you eventually start experiencing the anxiety pretty much constantly, in anticipation of the sensory overloads. That's when the stimming starts.

Okay but when is it called an anxiety disorder? There is anxiety issues and anxiety and anxiety disorder. I have been diagnosed as having an anxiety disorder. I probably have had it my whole life so that would explain why I was always yelling and crying and getting upset too easily. I used to get in trouble for it too and be made the bad guy for it.

The anxiety disorder symptoms and sensory overload can combine in terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad ways. For example you might have anticipatory anxiety about going into a crowded restaurant and it being too noisy. You feel anxious and worried at the prospect of going to the restaurant and your heart is racing maybe (anxiety symptoms) because you know you get overwhelmed in more than the average person in such situations( over-sensitivity). Then at the restaurant the mixed noises of people talking and plates clanking and a child screaming ect and all the smells of different food is overwhelming (sensory overload) and then you feel worried and anxious, have a headache, or racing heart, slight breathlessness (anxiety symptoms) ect.

I have both sensory overload and weird sensory needs and hyper-sensitivities and anxiety (diagnosed OCD and generalized anxiety disorder).

Maybe it depends on how you feel the anxiety? My anxiety when I get over stimulated is different from the one I feel when I'm alone and just think about things that make me anxious.

When I am alone, or the anxiety is not related to over stimulation, it makes me uneasy, get freeze, disconnect from the outside, or making me speechless. The process is long and accumulating. And I need to remind myself to breath deeply, though it doesn't always help. But the "danger" is not really out there.

My over stimulation is almost always about hearing, and it raises me the need for "fight and flight", which reaches highs very fast, is seconds or minutes. Then it's like the "danger" is really there.
I have misophonia, which means I can get really angry with specific noises. Doesn't matter loud they are. Like eating, sneezing, popping gums etc. Usually noises that other people make with their mouth, but also from things like clicking pen. Or repetitive noises. So I can relate to the fear of suddenly pay attention to one specific noise (like the fire alarm).

They are both forms of anxiety, but they are different. I think the one when I'm alone is like general anxiety and the second one is more to proper things, like over stimulation.

I get the sensory overload, but I am pretty "zen" so not much anxiety.
I agree with Daydreamer84.
Sensory overload is like having every smell within 20 feet, every sound amplified, flavors mixed are disgusting, visual chaos makes navigation slow. It's too much information to process and function "normally". My opinion only.
Sometimes I wish they could see their world like I do for 5 minutes or so!

If it helps, I have no obvious hypersensitivities in that my hearing/visual senses don't seem to distort, but I do experience exactly what you do. The only sensory hypersensitivity I know that I have to some degree is in my tactile sense, but I wouldn't think it would be a huge hassle alone. It is for reasons like these that I feel as if I have a more 'invisible' sensory problem that I've always thought was something else. Random fatigue, irritability, concentration problems and pains, it could potentially be related to my senses.

Then again, perhaps I don't have dramatic sensory problems and everything like this is just anxiety. It's impossible for me to tell, though from experience sensory issues seem to fit nicely.

I feel it. anxiety for me is felt in the heart. sensory issues are in the mind.

I've been wondering about this too, I'm so used to suppressing emotions now maybe I'm also suppressing pain, reactions to sounds I find annoying, smells etc. Reason I wonder this is because when I DO feel stressed, tired etc all the classic behaviours seem to come back, like all that resistance I had before seems to vanish.

That's a really good way to put it. That happens to me too. However, I also get panic attacks sometimes(I have severe generalized anxiety disorder) that are are not related to any sensory issues even though my sensory issues are on the more severe side for an aspie. But then there are times when I have a severe sensory overload to the point where I can talk and I shut down while sometimes hyperventilating and sobbing. But these episodes feel very different than a panic attack, although sometimes anxiety is a contributor.

A panic attack feels more like your brain is freaking out, while a sensory overload feels more like your brain is shutting down.

I think you probably provided the best explain action of the differences between what is anxiety and what is anxiety caused by overstimulation. I suffer from general and social anxiety but am not on the spectrum. However, my 7 yr old daughter is. She's actually what is referred to as "hypo sensitive" meaning see seems out stimuli but, she's not really able to self-regulate well so she then get sensory overload and becomes hyper sensitive. I do have issues with too much noise as a result of too many ppl (i.e., crowded mall or grocery store, restaurants or family get togethers) but, it's my anxiety that cause the sensory sensitivity I guess you could call it. While what you all being on the spectrum experience may be quite different from my own experience but, I. These situations we're still similar in that, the anxiety is causing the over stimulation. The same is true, in my opinion about the reverse like when this person said he/she was alone and anxiety is welling up because of the fear of what's to come. I'd venture to day that in that instance, the anxiety could cause a reaction that's more extreme to any stimuli that's introduced at that same moment.

The technical or clinical differences between the two is like the cause is anxiety and the symptom is over stimulation and visa versa. Honestly, I think it's less important that you're able to tell which one is which as far as what to label it as it's and more important that you find ways to cope with both.

^^^
I also get agitated by little noises like chewing, swallowing, breathing ect. when everything is quiet. I can't read or study with my sister or anyone else (close to another person in a library, for example) That I would see more as hyper-sensitivity.

True.

That is why I don´t have a fire alarm, which is stupid and irresponsible.
As soon as I can afford it, I want a digitally controlled firealarm, so I dont have to have ear-protection lying about and a ladder and a broomstick at hand!

If it helps, I have no obvious hypersensitivities in that my hearing/visual senses don't seem to distort, but I do experience exactly what you do. The only sensory hypersensitivity I know that I have to some degree is in my tactile sense, but I wouldn't think it would be a huge hassle alone. It is for reasons like these that I feel as if I have a more 'invisible' sensory problem that I've always thought was something else. Random fatigue, irritability, concentration problems and pains, it could potentially be related to my senses.

Then again, perhaps I don't have dramatic sensory problems and everything like this is just anxiety. It's impossible for me to tell, though from experience sensory issues seem to fit nicely.[/quote]

I wanted to ask what "tactile sense" is. Being a NT mom I'm still learning about my daughter and since she's only 7 it's hard for her to tell me what she's feeling. So, I can only go by what I learn on this and other sites and by picking up on her behaviors.

Also, you stated that you "don't have dramatic sensory problems" and my daughter seems to be the same easy. As I stated in my reply to the OP, my daughter has been labelled as having hypo sensitivity as she craves things like pressure and even pain when she's extremely upset. But, she lacks the ability to self regulate the amount of stimuli she's getting or inducing.

Btw, I love your quote!