Please describe your sensory overload

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I am putting together some information for the parents of an adult aspie friend who suffers severely from sensory overload and related anxiety. Her parents do not know how much she suffers and she finds it difficult to communicate with them. I will be meeting them in two weeks' time, and I would really appreciate it if you could answer these questions so that I can collate the answers for them to give them an idea of what it's about. I want them to think, 'If this is what other people experience, I wonder what she is going through'. Hopefully this will open up the dialogue a bit, and the information can be useful to others as well. (I would like to give a talk about this at an Aspergers support group next year too.)

You don't have to answer all the questions, just as many as you feel you'd like to.

1. What 3 things that lead to sensory overload for you?
2. What does sensory overload feel like?
3. What effect does it have on you when people expect you to engage with them while you experience sensory overload?
4. What 3 things do you wish people would understand about you when you experience sensory overload?
5. What 3 things do you wish people would do for you when you experience sensory overload?
6. What 3 things help you to prevent sensory overload?
7. What 3 things help you to recover from sensory overload?

Too many questions. That is actually a form of overload for me. I am compelled to answer as accurately as possible which takes effort and concentration. The result is that I default to sarcasm as a way of deflecting the task.

In general, noise and multiple sources of input (phone ringing, too many people talking all at once) overload me and I just stop processing things. Sort of slam the door on further input.

Paradoxically, if the noise is related to the task I am focused on at the moment, I am quite tolerant of it.

Noise and it used to be people requesting/demanding me to do things on the spot when I'm not prepared. And when that happens it goes a little like this:

um, yes- too many q's.. because its visual/cognative overload, essentially... so i expect most people will answer randomly... also- your q's are too NT- we think in a more meandering way... sorry- i hope that doesnt appear rude. anyway...

i suffer from noise most of all- just awfully- bass music just SLAYS me. its pretty aful. its hard to describe- upsetting, frightening, confusing- then i tired and shut down.
visual overload is next- seething stuff- like crowds of people viewed from the top deck of a bus- just feels the same- unsettling, confusing- i close my eyes. i can also get meltdowns from both..

conversly, however, i LOVE music, and im stoked to be off to the opera next week for tannhauser- wagner's music gives me a really good bass dose. i have synesthesia, so it crosses into that.

anyway- its like a menatl hypothermia- or your laptop battery closing down; the non essentials close down, but the core is ok, still blinking away- just not enough power for the peripherals to work. you jst...close...down.. oh! like the tin man in the wiz of oz.


id also suggest using the wp google custom search option- top right- for this- it comes up ALL the tie, and you'll find loads of links and stuff.
ps- your friend is lucky to have friend like you. gold star.

Words: Sensory overload, Central auditory processing disorder (CAPD), Distractibility/distractible associated with ADHD Inattentive (related challenges: wearing ear protectors, ear plugs, and so on), Photosensitive seizure associated with photosensitive epilepsy. The symptoms can, over time, slowly be recognized. In a few cases as with ADHD Inattentive, a stimulant-alerting agent can temporarily reduce aspects of distractibility (not a cure); in a few cases with photosensitive epilepsy, the right epilepsy medicine can temporarily reduce aspects of photosensitivity (related challenges: Sound epilepsy - from a telephone or ringing bell, even a voice - aka Mary Hart epilepsy), etc. Sensory overload is also a common symptom following sports concussions, brain injuries, etc. Sensory overload is real but there may be no instant answers in many cases.

1. Surprises, parallel input on multiple channels, noise.
2. Overwhelming need to remove myself from situation, which may not be possible (which often leads to crying).
3. I no longer have the ability to put the social veneer (fluff) on stuff, so I become "rude", "impatient", feel cross or upset, shout or cry, or run away.
4. Acceptance, I do not require admonishing beyond what I will do to myself.
5. Leave me alone for 5 mins, but COME BACK!! Difficult when I've shouted at someone, they don't usually want to come back for an anticipated second helping. Would be one of my Blind Date questions, "erm number 3, we are out for dinner and are half way through our meal when I start crying for no reason at all and am just staring at my hands, what do you do...?"
6. Preparation, serial input on one channel (pref visual not verbal), sunglasses.
7. Lying on my bed with the door shut works surprisingly well, otherwise some sort of time out. I don't have 3 things, it's sort of a process that recovers itself.

just like the others, too many questions, and my mind doesn't know where to start.
I'll rewrite them and post like its a quiz..


1. What 3 things that lead to sensory overload for you?
certain fabrics that are itchy, loud sudden noises or loud ring tones, or loud music that i do not find soothing, people touching me/hugging me/in my space
2. What does sensory overload feel like?
feels like a panic starting... i can feel it welling up inside of me.. my thoughts begin to race... i feel i have to get away to a quiet place.. it can manifest as me being angry, crying, or sometimes even selectively mute.
3. What effect does it have on you when people expect you to engage with them while you experience sensory overload? It makes my sensory overload multiply.... if i am having an overload/meltdown, i want to be left alone... if i get asked questions, its more likely that i will lash out at someone.
4. What 3 things do you wish people would understand about you when you experience sensory overload?
1. I need time to recover from it.... leave me alone in peace and i will be fine
2. dont act like it is a big deal... if i am over a meltdown, dont bring it up, i may start to feel overloaded again.
3. it isnt really anyone's fault. dont give me a guilt trip or pity party because it happened.... and DONT give me a hug.
5. What 3 things do you wish people would do for you when you experience sensory overload?
1. Leave me alone
2. Ignore the fact that i'm having a melt down.
3. dont touch me
6. What 3 things help you to prevent sensory overload?
1. Being organized and having a routine
2. quiet time prevents my sensory overload
3. being able to wear comfortable clothes makes me less prone to sensory overload....
If i can wear my jacket, then i feel secure.... its like a security blanket. If i am feeling extra shy, i can zip it up and pull the hood close to my neck and i feel calm.... Weird, huh?
7. What 3 things help you to recover from sensory overload?
1. Quiet time/maybe a nap
2. focusing on my phone, playing something like sudoku or chess
3. my jacket.... makes me feel secure.....so soft fabrics...

1. What 3 things that lead to sensory overload for you?
Surprises, crowds, strong input (bright lights, loud sounds)

2. What does sensory overload feel like?
I ask others to imagine they are skinned alive in a world that rains salt, with blinding strobe lights, howling sirens and that sound where people scratch a chalkboard. The longer it lasts, the more dazed I become until I am practically comatose.

3. What effect does it have on you when people expect you to engage with them while you experience sensory overload?
I realize they can't understand why I can't handle it, but it just adds to the severity of the attack. For example I sometimes go shopping at a busy crowded Walmart with a friend who doesn't stick to a plan, puts stuff back on the shelf the other side of the store when she sees something she wants more, and takes WAY too long to shop. I can handle it for ten or twenty minutes, but I become increasingly dazed after that faster and faster until I have to go outside. Even there, there is still too much going of for me to recover completely until I get home. She gets mad at me for "ruining" her shopping experience.

4. What 3 things do you wish people would understand about you when you experience sensory overload?
That it is happening, it is not my fault, and I'm sorry if I'm letting them down.

5. What 3 things do you wish people would do for you when you experience sensory overload?
Help me get to a quiet safe place to recover, not try to keep me in the place where this is happening, back off.

6. What 3 things help you to prevent sensory overload?
Avoid crowded, busy, noisy places. If I have to go there, earplugs help a little. Planning ahead so I'm not surprised, and sticking to an agreed plan or schedule would help too so I'd know when it will be over.

7. What 3 things help you to recover from sensory overload?
Peace and quiet, lying down, maybe browsing WrongPlanet forums lol.

To answer all the questions with one response:

Imagine you're at the heart of the Las Vegas strip. It's 115 degrees out. The noises are amplified so they all hurt your ears yet you can still make out each individual noise and source. Each light is many times brighter than you are comfortable with, and each time a single light flashes or blinks, you notice it.There are hundreds of people pressing against you and talking to you. Your body is being pulled and tugged and squeezed and brushed by unseen hands. Your mouth is filled with the most repulsive texture you can imagine. You can smell every person in a 20' radius. All of these things are happening at once, and someone comes up and wants to talk to you about something really important. You know you need to listen to them, but with everything going on in the background, it's almost impossible.

How would that feel? What would you need to do to feel better? How would you like to be treated when that's happening?

1. What 3 things that lead to sensory overload for you?
Too many things happening at once, however if something triggers my adrenal gland, sensory overload generally doesn't happen until after that gland swithces back off. Instead, my mind jumps into hyperdrive, processing critical information, and throwing out all social information.

2. What does sensory overload feel like?
general headache, overwhelming urge to retreat. Panic. If lots of voices are involved with the overload, a brief, loud outburst may be triggered.

3. What effect does it have on you when people expect you to engage with them while you experience sensory overload?
It causes me to give short, quick responses, and become extremely forgetful. Frequently, I will completely forget what happened when overloaded, as if I am there in body only.

4. What 3 things do you wish people would understand about you when you experience sensory overload? I need time to recover.

5. What 3 things do you wish people would do for you when you experience sensory overload?
LEAVE ME ALONE
BE QUITE
LEAVE ME ALONE

6. What 3 things help you to prevent sensory overload?
expectations of what is going to happen
itemized lists, and don't just tell me, as that takes more overhead to process.

7. What 3 things help you to recover from sensory overload?
Quite, isolation, time

This is very difficult to articulate in a way that will make the experience comprehensible .

1. What 3 things that lead to sensory overload for you?
Many different things but mostly loud noises like car horns, loud music, lots of people talking in a large crowd.

2. What does sensory overload feel like?
It feels like being suffocated by information and leads to very panicky and anxious feelings. I feel everyone is looking at me.

3. What effect does it have on you when people expect you to engage with them while you experience sensory overload?
It makes me feel very stressed and defensive. Embarrassed that I come across as stupid or ret*d.

4. What 3 things do you wish people would understand about you when you experience sensory overload?
I'm not going crazy. It's nothing to do with them so they shouldn't feel hurt if I have to withdraw.

5. What 3 things do you wish people would do for you when you experience sensory overload?
Leave me alone. Let me go somewhere quiet to cool down. Not hold the withdrawal against me.

6. What 3 things help you to prevent sensory overload?
Getting adequate sleep. Nothing else appears to do any good. Avoiding places at certain times of the day. If I can't get out of the situation, like a noisy bus for example, I tend to space out, dissociate.

7. What 3 things help you to recover from sensory overload?
Breathing exercises to reduce the physical anxiety. Going somewhere quiet.

1. What 3 things that lead to sensory overload for you?
   Unusual sensory input(sticky things like sap or soap or syrup, static cling, oil on my skin, fabrics whose textures are different depending on how you touch them)
   Intense sensory input(bright lights, high-pitched noises, deep bass, perfumes, being required to use multiple senses at once, combinations of textures)
   Unexpected sensory input(touching me, especially unexpectedly, being exposed to sensory input suddenly and without having time to prepare)
   
   
2. What does sensory overload feel like?
   It feels like an overwhelming feeling that something is wrong and I need to stop it. If I can't stop it, it can cause a panic attack.
   
   
3. What effect does it have on you when people expect you to engage with them while you experience sensory overload?
   I'm amazed that they don't understand and don't feel the same things. I can't focus when it's happening. Being asked to communicate in those situations adds more stress and makes me freak out. It's like being asked to simultaneously hold conversations with three different people who speak three different languages.
   
   
4. What 3 things do you wish people would understand about you when you experience sensory overload?
   I am seriously experiencing it. I am not exaggerating!
   It has nothing to do with you, and I am not trying to bother you.
   If the sensory input is stopped and if I am left alone for a while I will calm down.
   
   
5. What 3 things do you wish people would do for you when you experience sensory overload?
   Make it stop.
   Don't try to comfort me and especially don't try to touch me.
   Leave me alone until I calm down.
   
   
6. What 3 things help you to prevent sensory overload?
   Letting me avoid it or helping me avoid it
   If it's unavoidable, preparation, far in advance, so I can be aware that it's going to happen. It is still likely to happen, but if I can be aware of it and aware of how long it is likely to last, I can stay calmer.
   Minimize the time that I will be exposed to it.
   
   
7. What 3 things help you to recover from sensory overload?
   Getting me away from whatever is overstimulating
   Getting me to a place where there is little sensory activity. A calm, quiet place, with as little activity as possible, with no people, where it's dark or at least shaded, and doesn't have any strong smells(not even smells that other people may find pleasing).
   Time alone not having to speak. Having a conversation requires sensory activity and does not help. If I initiate it, holding my hand may be okay.

Last edited by matt on 15 Dec 2010, 1:56 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Wow! thats alot of questions! Here goes...
1. What 3 things that lead to sensory overload for you?
a. Loud sudden noises or to many noises for me to proccess, Bright lights (flashing or not), people touching me/hugging me/in my space
2. What does sensory overload feel like?
a. It feels like a panic attack starting... I can feel it welling up inside of me.. my heart starts to beat to fast... I start sweating... my thoughts begin to race... I sometime lose my sight, or my hearing... I feel I have to get away to some place quiet... it can manifest as me being agitated, or I start to zone out, or my arm starts to twitch. If left unchecked I start to either faint or puke.
3. What effect does it have on you when people expect you to engage with them while you experience sensory overload?
a. It makes me so fustrated, on the verge of tears. I just want to be left alone... for the input to stop!... when asked questions or if not given space I will lash out at you... anything to just give me some breathing room.
4. What 3 things do you wish people would understand about you when you experience sensory overload?
a. I need time to recover from it. Please let me go on a walk or leave me alone in my room. Give me some peace and I will be fine
b. Don't act like it is a big deal, don't fuss over me. Bringing up my meltdow will only cause another to start up.
c. It isnt really anyone's fault. I know that my behaviour is unexceptible, but I can not stop myself sometimes. Please don't try to guilt trip me or feel sorry for me, and DON'T give me a hug.
5. What 3 things do you wish people would do for you when you experience sensory overload?
a. Leave me alone, unless I ask for help!
b. If I ask you to help me get outside, JUST help me, this is not the time for 20 questions.
c. Do not try to hug or hold me
6. What 3 things help you to prevent sensory overload?
a. Being organized and having a strict routine
b. Time alone in my room, on a walk helps me recharge my batteries, preventing most sensory overloads
c. Being able to wear ear plugs or shades makes me less prone to sensory overload.
7. What 3 things help you to recover from sensory overload?
a. Quiet time, or a long walk.
b. Drawing cartoon characters, while listening to my music
c. Closing my eyes and focusing on controling my breath

1. What 3 things that lead to sensory overload for you?

Noise, smells, touching of things I don't expect. If the phone rings and a car drives by at the same time I yell and I usually get scared and start stimming. Certain smells, a lot of smells hurt my head. I am very sensitive to smells. Certain food gives me headaches too, like stuffing. I just can't eat it, I'm not sure what it is.

2. What does sensory overload feel like?
The end of the world sometimes. I panic, my heart beat speeds up. Especially with noise.

3. What effect does it have on you when people expect you to engage with them while you experience sensory overload?
Well I'm stressed and when people try to communicate with me I ignore them and focus on myself or act short with them.


4. What 3 things do you wish people would understand about you when you experience sensory overload?
People think I'm not really feeling what I am.
They feel insulted as though I'm hurting them when they're being loud and it stresses me.

5. What 3 things do you wish people would do for you when you experience sensory overload?
Leave me alone.
Don't talk or try to comfort me.
Make the world quiet lol.

6. What 3 things help you to prevent sensory overload?

Staying out of situations that are noisy or smelly.
Knowing what's going to happen. If I know what's going to happen I may be able to control it better.

7. What 3 things help you to recover from sensory overload?
quiet
mozart

1. What 3 things that lead to sensory overload for you?
My wife, our cat (or TV) and a noisy washing machine all making sounds at once.

2. What does sensory overload feel like?
Claustrophobic mental confinement or entrapment.

3. What effect does it have on you when people expect you to engage with them while you experience sensory overload?
Feeling completely overwhelmed.

4. What 3 things do you wish people would understand about you when you experience sensory overload?
Everything must stop so we can take things one-at-a-time;
Everything must stop so we can take things one-at-a-time;
Everything must stop so we can take things one-at-a-time.

5. What 3 things do you wish people would do for you when you experience sensory overload?
Stop everything so we can take things one-at-a-time;
Stop everything so we can take things one-at-a-time;
Yes, stop everything so we can take things one-at-a-time.

6. What 3 things help you to prevent sensory overload?
Doing just one thing at a time;
Avoiding people who expect me to even try to do more than one thing at a time;
Saying "Stop!" whenever anyone else begins doing more than one thing at a time around me.

7. What 3 things help you to recover from sensory overload?
The first, second and third hours of peace-and-quiet after everything else stops.

1. Too many things going on around me at once
2. Too many things for me to do at once, especially if it something I'm not accustomed to doing
3. Certain noises




For me my brain starts to shut down. Thinking for me becomes a really slow and laborious process. Sensory information is ignored. Sights and sounds become really distant and incoherent. I get really fatigued and I feel like I want to go to sleep.



I get really annoyed at people



1. I need some to time alone to recover
2. I need some to time alone to recover
3. I need some to time alone to recover



1. A quite place to lay down
2. A dark place to lay down