Personal Space

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Hi, I have ASD and I was wondering if this is part of that or if anyone else experiences it. As I've gotten older, I've become a lot more sensitive to sensory stuff (smells, tastes, noise, touch) and this new thing has started happening since about last year. When a person's face gets close to mine (usually it's my mum, she often comes up behind me to hug me, or she'll lean in to tell me something or inspect something on my clothes) and I'll start to panic. I feel like I'm suffocating. The smell of her breath is too much. She's too close. I can't breathe. And it takes a long time afterwards to calm down. For ages I'll feel like bursting into tears and am completely rattled. I've told her not to do it but she forgets a lot or she doesn't really take it on board so it keeps happening and it's worse each time. Until the last year or so I didn't have any problems with stuff like this or touching (which I've become sensitive to as well now). Does this happen to anyone else? Does anything help?

My sensory issues got and continue to get worse as I get older. When I was younger I didn’t have sensory processing deficits to this extent, but as I am put under more pressure every year because of stress, work, school, etc. they continue to get worse. I don’t really know of anything that helps except maybe trying to manage the root cause, which might be stress of some sort for you as well. Good luck! I hope this helps .

All of my issues, especially sensory have gotten worse as I have gotten older as well. And I too, have a very difficult time with people being too close to me. It makes me very anxious and uncomfortable also. I don't react as strongly as you do but I cannot tolerate when people get too close unless it is someone that I trust completely like my brother. My personal space circle limit is about three feet. Any closer than that and you are way too close. The only exception is if I invite people in closer because I can't understand what they are saying. But I have to invite them in. They cannot initiate it or I get really anxious.

I would say most of my sensory issues have improved over time. I can stand to be around a vaccuum cleaner now, although I still don't like it. I just tell myself "it's only for a few minutes." My sense of smell seems to be decreased, sadly (my roses don't seem to have much fragrance).

But one thing that hasn't changed is touch sensitivity. On many parts of my body, light touch is painful or burning (nerve pain). On other parts, it's more irritating, like an ant crawling on my skin would be irritating. Also, I hate anyone standing behind me when I'm online, I feel like they are spying on my Internet activity. I like to keep a strong boundary between my "real" and "online" worlds.

I dealt with a worsening of my sensory issues starting at age 14. It peaked at 16, when it was bad enough that I was always either in a semi-shutdown or having anxiety attacks, even at home. I became severely agoraphobic for several years as a result. But over the past two years I've been making steady progress. Finding ways to alleviate my anxiety, making use of the comfort of routine, and certain changes in my life have all coincided with a gradual lessening of the severity of my SPD, if only in the way that I respond emotionally.
You could also try sensory therapy. My mom pulled me out of it after one session because my older sister convinced her that it was pseudo-science. But the tools and tricks I was taught in a single session were extremely useful - sensory therapy with adults is often strategy-based rather than exposure and sensory play. But I agree with others here that increased stress often has a lot to do with it. Your symptoms might not lessen until you address the root cause.

I've been having issues with personal space over the past few years. I don't like it when people reach up behind me and tap me on the shoulder.

My sensory issues seem to be decreasing with age (I'm 47). I used to have real problems with noise, but going partially deaf has certainly helped that! Touch sensitivities remain, but I find I learn to manage them more, so it's not hopeless for those of us getting older. Prozac helps, of course.

My sensory issues have gradually gotten better as I've gotten older but I still don't like people standing rite next to me but thatt's cuz of an anxiety issue like claustrophobia or social anxiety. At least you guys issues with personal space aren't as bad as this guy/alien


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2DfmDuOxcN8

That personal space guy is pretty bad!!

Touch sensitivity has gotten worse for me. I had to change out the shower head in my bathroom because it sprayed too hard. I replaced it with a rain type shower head. I can’t stand people getting too close to me. And have started having issues with startling noises. They always bothered me but know I physically react.

But other issues I had as a kid and young adult have gone away. And some have not changed at all.

So maybe this is normal?

My sensory sensitivities have gotten progressively worse as well. Touch and sound are the worst for me, and I absolutely hate being breathed on. Even my own breath drives me insane. At night I struggle to find a sleeping position that prevents me from breathing on myself. I even hate when something is so close to my face that breathing on it causes some of the air to blow back in my direction (if that makes sense). I love the air from a fan, though. My NT wife always wants to touch and cuddle. It drives me absolutely insane. The near constant need for physical interaction is one of the biggest things that I will never understand about NTs.

I hate being breathed on as well. Even as a little kid, I could not tolerate it.