This seems to explain my weirdness...

by Kelly
(US)

I was always that strange kid who drove her parents nuts with the inability to wear certain clothes, deal with shirt tags, belts, turtlenecks, and tight clothes. I never was very social (at all) and couldn't focus in class. I enjoy learning but not in groups; can't focus with all of the noise garbling things in my brain.

These days I have two small children, an extroverted husband who doesn't "get me", and a very loud extended family. All of that noise and chaos is enough to drive me up the wall!!! I have to retreat into my bedroom frequently just to breathe in a dark, quiet space. At night my husband has to watch/hear TV to fall asleep, which is very difficult for me because I need to unwind in quiet at the end of the day. He is not very understanding of this and is very begrudging if I ever ask him if we can turn it off for the night.

Going to the store is a nightmare, especially somewhere like Target or Walmart. The lighting, color, and noise make my brain go fuzzy so that things literally look blurry to me and it feels like I'm in a dream state. I wind up getting irritable when too many people are talking at once (a constant in our house).

Sand at the beach is really uncomfortable to me, and while I enjoy gardening because it's soothing, I can't stand to touch dirt with my bare hands. Same goes for other texture types as well.

I have a hard time conversing with others because I can't seem to make eye contact or communicate my thoughts effectively. Written conversations are much easier because I can quietly sit and ponder what to say. Lastly, I sometimes have reactions to other peoples' emotions that I can't explain. I am often overly empathetic, feeling the emotions of other people around me as if soaking it in. Other peoples' grief can send me into depression, my child's temper tantrums require a time out for both of us because I emotionally feed on her anger and frustration. This is very concerning to me as it renders me subject to others' feelings constantly.

Does this sound like a sensory processing issue? And if so, does anyone have tips on how to handle this on a daily basis?