I just wanted to say this site DOES help people cope- or it helped me today, anyway.
I was sitting in class and feeling fine emotionally, but I was suddenly aware of every sensation in my body. I had this weird pain in my head, and my heart seemed to be beating fast. I was aware of every sound in the room. I was over-aware and it was uncomfortable.
Now, if I hadn't heard you guys talking about overload, I would have assumed this was the onset of a panic attack. However, there was no emotional component, and having heard people talk so much about "overloads," I was pretty sure that was what it was. Instead of panicking, I did some deep breathing and tried to keep my cool because I'd be out of there and home soon, and once I was someplace with less input I knew I'd be OK. I'm at home now and still nervous but better, and I didn't freak out at all.
Anyway, I've had overloads before, but I honestly didn't know about them before I started talking to other Aspies. Overloads are separate from panic attacks; they can come randomly and don't seem to have to be emotional at all. I would have turned this into a panic attack without the proper cognitive labeling.
So, to whoever says this site is just a bunch of people needlessly bitching about how life's not fair- there's more to this site than that.
P.S. I swear I can feel tiny little air movements on my skin right now, i.e. I'm not out of it, but I'm not too concerned. Also not panicking. Holding my cat, Prozac, in my lap instead. He's very helpful.