Information Overload

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I get overwhelmed very easily-and almost non stop, lol. Since I have 2 kids, they're needing different things back to back a lot of the time, and it's always when I'm trying to do something else

I usually space out instantly for a few minutes then go back to either what I was doing to finish it up, or do whatever is being asked for the most so I can get it out of the way.

I work in a delivery/carry out pizza place....I often have to go and hide out in the bathroom or "smoke" (i pretend to) because the phones are almost constantly ringing, there are usually 3 conversations going on at once, and you have all these orders to do...we don't just deliver pizza either, its salads and pastas and sammiches.

And then my managers get mad and gripe because I'm clumsy ("..") and I usually drop things or can't remember pizza recipes and such.

And then people can't just leave me alone to concentrate on cutting the pizzas (or whatever else) or making them...they have to "help", standing there and watching and critisizing and...and I HATE when people mess up the "system" I have going at the moment...I understand their trying to help, but when they do that, not only do I have all this other stuff going on, I have that annoyed, extremely...grrr!! ! feeling to deal with.

And to top it off, they play horrible 70's and 80's music on the radio, medium volume, and with both freezers, the walk-in and both levels of the oven running, it's always a cacophany of noise.

It sux.

As far as dealing with it....I just try to not to explode at anyone, and that people are calling because they be hungry, and my coworkers and managers are just trying to get me to do a good job (or whatever).

I go home and unwind at the end of the day... I like listening to music and such as long as it isn't the music they play at work.

I'm not sure if I go through information overload (or sensory overload), but I think I'm definitely very sensitive to sound, touch and light. I can hardly think in noisy places or next to noisy people (when they make noises with their fingers, listen to music or hum). However, unlike other autistics, I don't black out, and I can't block any sounds; I'm forced to listen to every single sound endlessly. My experience is very similar to meru's and Clueless_rhino's.

Just when do you realize you're overloaded? What's the limit between just being annoyed and being overloaded?

Overloaded is when I can no longer communicate with the external world because my mind's already processing so much information that anything I try to say gets disrupted and comes out as a mumbled string of apparently random words. That's if I'm keeping the tension in; if I don't mind upsetting people I can let the tension out instead by yelling at everyone . It's very rare, but when it does happen I just explode out of my usual shell, ranting about exactly what I think of the situation. It's like a fight or flight thing, I think. The information builds up and up until it becomes too much to deal with, so you can either sit and struggle with it for a few minutes, using all your mental resources to keep a lid on it, or you can ride the wave and erupt. I love yelling at people though, so maybe I'm different.

Do you all know about the link between low-level inhibition (AKA sensory overload) and heightened creativity?

Yes, I ran a research on that when I heard it in Prison Break. And it's "low latent inhibition"

It's quite simple. For those who don't know, low latent inhibition means you can't block sensory information: you can't get used to common stimuli, you always process them as if they were something new. You consciously perceive every detail around you. Most people have high latent inhibition, which means they skip "unimportant" stimuli; otherwise they would feel overloaded.

If you're intelligent enough to process everything, you can be a great learner. LLI makes you open to new experiences because your brain is always alert. Some people with LLI can draw in a very realistic way because they assmilate every detail of what they see. Others can be musicians or orchestra directors.

For more information, see this study about the subject:
Decreased Latent Inhibition Is Associated With Increased Creative Achievement in High-Functioning Individuals

If it's worth anything, when I get told a long list of demands at once, I have a really tough time sifting through all of them and taking action.

For me it depends on the crowd. If they're "my people" then I'll feel at home. But if only a few of them are and the rest are... strangers who... uhhhhhhhh... how can I explain this... who I find aesthetically/culturally unappealing... then I get that way.

As for sensory overload... that's probably why I can't drive a car, or why I suck real bad at jobs like flipping burgers or answering phones on a busy line.

It is easy to be overwhelmed in a noisy place, but it seems to me an overload occurs in a peaceful setting too. When conversation gets deeper I suddenly lose the thread and feel disconnected. I think that an increase in complexity is the cause.