what are some things you're more sensitive too

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Noise, smell and food are my worst, but I have big tactile and light issues too. I can't tolerate any noise at or above 70 decibels, so things like vacuum cleaners, blenders, flushing toilets, etc all hurt me physically and make me feel like my insides are being stabbed with a billion tiny needles. Sudden unexpected noises such as a car horn, babies crying or people laughing obnoxiously loudly all make me jump, like I've been zapped by electricity. For several minutes afterward, I feel very nervous and extremely irritated and angry, as if whoever startled me did it on purpose. Unfortunately "Startle StarTrekker" is a game my friends all love to play because they love the reaction. A kid I used to work with in a fast food joint used to toss ice cubes into my metal sink from behind me, making them clang. It startled me every time and I got really mad, but he just took my anger as a joke. One shift he did it so many times that I was shaking all over by the end of it, it was horrible. I also have a hard time with high pitched squeaking sounds; they're like nails on a chalkboard and make me feel like I'm being stabbed in the ears, with a proper knife, not just needles. Once in college I was taking an exam in a lecture hall which had hundreds of those fold-down desktops; they were very old, so every time someone got up to leave and raised the desk, it would make an awful squeaking sound. This happened over and over again, and I couldn't concentrate on my exam. Eventually I just had to cover my ears until the majority of the other students were gone. By the time I was done, I was stimming like crazy and bordering on meltdown mode. I was shaking all over and exhausted, too tired to do anything about the intense frustration I was feeling. As soon as I got out of the building, I sprinted fast as I could across campus, trying to shake off the emotion, and almost gave myself an asthma attack in the process.

Certain clothing textures are perhaps the thing I avoid the most. I don't like it when people who I don't know touch me, but that isn't sensory, per se. I don't like having objects, people, or clothing brush up against my skin lightly; it doesn't necessarily hurt, but it's annoying.

Sound sensitivity isn't usually a big issue for me, though loud, sudden sounds can make me jump and I'll notice sounds that others apparently don't. I become more sensitive to noise if I'm already under duress (say, if I'm upset or stressed out).

If I'm in an enclosed space (say, a restaurant) and there's too much activity going on around me, I'll feel dazed or a little woozy. I can also get this way if I'm trying to take in a new environment, as if my brain is trying to absorb *everything* around me. This happens when I try to navigate through a crowd sometimes, too. It's a weird feeling.

For me, it's sound.

I grew up sensitive to higher-pitched noise, and particularly unexpected abruptions, for example, bodily sounds, dinnerware clinking, dishes clinking, sniffles, breathing, picking at something/ biting at something, chewing/nibbling, swallow/gulp, slurps, abrupt sounds in mechanics such as an unsteady vent/fan (background noise to most people), unsteady fluorescent lights ( *zzzt, zzt, zzzt* ), an air conditioner turning itself on or off, irregular clicking, sudden high-frequency squeaking, unexpected cracking...

I can't stand my own chewing, and I make efforts for my sanity to breathe as silently as possible without irregularity. When I accidentally cling/clank silverware, glasses or dishes, I cringe, and it disorients me. Frankly, it feels like torture to my ears.

Over the years, now, I have tried my best to internally train myself to tolerate these types of sounds, particularly when other people make them. I think in my mind, "Get through this, you'll get through this, it's nothing, it's nothing, just wait, hang in there." I think this as loud as I can allow my inner voice, as to mentally distract myself from the real-world disruption.

When I'm particularly irritable and/or already aggravated, these sounds get to my nerves a lot more easily, and they drive me up the wall.

No other sense has nearly as much of an effect against my sanity and well-being as hearing/sound, particularly the higher-pitch frequencies. Even my mouse-click unnerves me. And my typing on this keyboard.


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Plus, everything that StarTrekker said about sounds/noises, from vacuum cleaners and blenders, to the clanks of an ice cube against a sink, all the way to sprinting away. The sounds of people's pencils scribbling notes too. Aaaarrgh! Before college, school was *so difficult* for me to focus, because of too many unnerving sounds!!

Well, it still is difficult in college!! !

I'm very sensitive to negativity.

I'm really sensitive to noise. Many people talking at the same time, telephones ringing, repeating sounds, hiccups and other bodily sounds I can't control (as in, I can't make them stop). Some people really annoy me when they eat, because they breathe too heavily, or make too much noise.

I am very sensitive to stress. If people around me get stressed, or have other strong emotions, It stresses me out.

Temperature. I get really uncomfortable when I get really warm. I get totally exhausted and can't function normally.

I am very picky when it comes to food, and I'm scared to try new things. When it comes to fruit it gotta be just right. People say that if I don't like it I don't have to eat it, so there's no problem, but if I get something in my mouth that doesn't taste right, it gets really uncomfortable, and it makes me reluctant to eat it again.

Some textures like fluffy microfiber, it feels really dry and scratchy. I have a knitted sweater that is uncomfortable when I pull it, in a way I can't describe. Something dry that touches something else that is dry, like a dry sponge against a blackboard (nails scratching at the blackboard is nothing compared to a dry sponge).

Some smells, like sheep meat when it's cooked, it's terrible.

Tags on clothes or in shoes. I had a pair of shoes that had tags in them that gave me blisters, so I had to remove them.

Crowds. I get really stressed if there's people all around me. I don't get why people wanna go out drinking in bars or clubs. It's noisy, often crowdy and filled with people I don't know. Usually we hang at a friends house, and then they want to go to a bar, I don't get it. Why would they wanna go out to pay twice as much to drink in a bar that is filled up with people, and play music so loud that you have to move in close and scream in peoples ears in order for them to hear what you're saying. Granted, not all bars are like that, and there is one that isn't too bad, but still, I would prefer if we just stayed in. I don't drink, so the fact that they're drunk might make it more enjoyable for them.

I avoid some foods purely because of their texture/smell, one food that my parents seem to enjoy eating smells so terrible to me I feel vomiting and punching something.

My body gets itchy if I wear thermals underwear, I'm very sensitive to heat so I prefer the cold I never see how some people are able to wash dishes with steaming hot water. I use to take cold showers and baths without not feeling chills but my parents found it weird so they started making me take warmer baths so my bias towards the cold had lessened.

Strong smells, especially perfume or anything that has a strong perfumed scent like candles, soaps, etc. I HATE going in stores like Bath and Body works. Chemical cleaning products, and air fresheners. I especially can't stand anything that comes out of an aerosol spray can. I think aerosol cans should be banned.

I'm very picky about foods, don't like most fruits or vegetables. I could write a book about all the foods I don't eat but suffice it to say that wrong food just will not go down, I gag on it.

The smell of bread, unless it is really high quality, fresh baked, natural bread, it almost always smells moldy to me.

Sounds...anything that sounds "dry" like the sound of paper tearing, using sandpaper on something, the sound of cardboard rubbing together. The sound of someone writing with a pencil will just about enrage me.

Polyester or acrylic fabric. I can wear skirts made of synthetic material if it has a cotton liner, or if I have cotton leggings on underneath, but having synthetic fabric against my skin is just a misery. It makes me hot and itchy and I sweat in it.

Tags in clothing and seams in socks. Or if my sock just gets a little bit twisted.
Any kind of clothing that feels tight or confining. Tight waistbands are absolute torture.

My ears are very sensitive to the cold, even on a warm day, if there is a chilly breeze in the air my ears will start hurting.

People with loud, booming voices, or high pitched nasally or squeaky voices.

Loud echoing mixtures of noise like you hear in a crowded shopping mall. It makes me feel dizzy.

Car alarms or fire alarms or any other kind of alarm noise. I will only use the radio on my alarm clock, at a soft volume. It doesn't take much to wake me up.

Certain tones/pitches/timbres of voice

Certain types of light

Bare skin brushing against mine

Prolonged, repetitive loud noises (beeps, alarms, etc)

Crowds

Witnessing public acts of child abuse
Sunlight
Most laundry detergents
The R-Word
Loud voices and yelling
Being called a nasty person when I wouldn't dare choose to do such a thing
Young couples who grope and grind in public places in the daylight.
Today's Top 40 - there are many different styles and sounds mashed together in each song.
Auto tune
Car alarms
Boom boxes in the back of everyone's vehicle
Road rage
Being attacked on account of my special interests which is why I've modified my posting style over the past couple of years.
TVs that are turned up super loud
The Gender Binary
Abortion
Being rushed to put Christmas behind me and pack up my ornaments, when I'm not ready to do that until January 7th. I had to put my foot down with my friend who's in her 60s about that.
War
Autism Speaks. I'm allergic to them.

Touch. Especially light, unexpected touches freaks me out.

The smell of mulled wine.

Blinking lights.

When many people are having conversations at the same time in fx a restuarant. The sounds are so overwhelming that I can hardly speak myself.

When people are humming, singing or making weird sounds without any logical reason.

Dry, scratching sounds like a broom against dusty asphalt or a dry tooth brush against teeth.

Repetetive background sounds like a ticking clock.

Bright sunlight. It hurts my eyes to a degree where I can't speak coherently.

High, unexpected sounds.

Fast food.

Artifical strawberry taste.

Light is a big issue with me with my eye sight going because im 43 it has become a double edge sword i need it to see but it hurt my eyes. Night is a massive pain because of the car lights. . Sounds wise there only two things that bother me one is the hum or buzz from lights, that just drives me batty. There is certain cloth i cant stand being on my skin. i have an Indianapolis colts s**t that has little holes in it, i cannot stand to wear it. Even if i have another shirt on underneath it it still feels like its grinding my skin to dust. Smells well that is funny there some smells i find almost intoxicating and there chemical perfumy cloth detergent that gags me.

I am extremely sensitive to light touch on my back. I once tried to get a massage but every time the therapist touched me I jumped. It's too bad, massages look very relaxing. My wife finds it hilarious seeing me jump though, so she'll touch me on my back every now and then just to torture me and get a laugh. I obviously don't see the humor in it.