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hypersensitive to ourside stimuli?
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| Dulcy |
Posted on December 09 2008 02:01 AM
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Member
Location: American Southeast
Posts: 202
Joined: 2008-08-27
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Okay. Gotta ask this. What drives my husband crazy is how easy I am to drive crazy.
Clocks ticking, snoring, any repetitive noise makes me want to scream. If it's repetetive enough, it can drive me to frantic tears. Clothing can bother me, though it doesn't always. Socks can drive me nuts, I am obsessively fussy about socks because they drive the craziest.
I'm not OCD, just can't block out external stimuli. I can't pick a voice out of a roomfull of people talking.
So what I want to know is, is this part of the dyscalculia pattern, or is this just evidence of my general neurotic personality?
"Tell me, what is it you plan to do
with your one wild and precious life?"
The Summer Day by Mary Oliver |
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| justfoundout |
Posted on December 09 2008 02:40 AM
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Member
Location: Texas USA
Posts: 3600
Joined: 2008-05-25
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12/8/08
Maybe part of the dyscalculia or maybe some other undiscovered companion symptom. When I go to my kitchen in the morning to get a cup of coffee, the dumb dog in the yard next door reacts as though the neighborhood were under attack and barks hysterically. He/she has the most awful sounding half-squeaky, half-aphonic bark, as though in some kind of pain. I cringe. And if I could afford to sell my house and move, I would. - jus'
Edited by justfoundout on December 09 2008 02:43 AM |
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| twistedxkiss |
Posted on December 09 2008 03:33 AM
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Member
Location: Michigan
Posts: 533
Joined: 2008-09-19
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It was written in one of the reports from when I was a kid that I was incapable of tuning out outside stimuli. I remember being driven nuts in class when the teacher would be trying to help someone, and it was like their whispering drowned out my own thoughts. It's not as bad anymore but it still gets on my nerves.
Otherwise, I DO have OCD. So my experiences are biased.
Edited by twistedxkiss on December 09 2008 03:33 AM |
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| classclownfish |
Posted on December 09 2008 04:40 AM
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Member
Location: MD
Posts: 118
Joined: 2007-10-12
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I am more attuned to things that other people it seems. Sounds seem to bother me when other people don't even seem to hear them. I get irritated with noises easier than most, especially repetitive ones.
But stuff like voices, I can tune them out really easily. Alot of times when I don't want to.
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| Kathy |
Posted on December 09 2008 05:44 AM
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Member
Location: Bribie Island Queensland Australia
Posts: 291
Joined: 2005-04-03
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Hi Dulcy,
I am frightened by the "flash" of lightening - I know the boom is coming but its the flash that frightens me the most - I even react when I am sleeping -I jump - (drives my hubby nuts!)I cannot stand fire works either - the flash then the bang! - too scary for words! I have thought of being hypnotised but I don't like the thought - so meanwhile my cat and I resort to staying under the stairs in the cupboard in the dark - P.S. My hubby bought me block out eye masks - (it does work! - but I still catch a glimpse of the flash! maybe I need a complete head mask - I think they call that "A Bag"! Happy Christmas every one and a brilliant new year to come.
Cheers and enjoy the fireworks!
Kathy
Albert Einstein said: "Many of the things you can count, don't count. Many of the things you can't count, really count!." |
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| eoffg |
Posted on December 09 2008 06:51 AM
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 of clu[26].jpg)
Administrator
Location: Australia
Posts: 1159
Joined: 2005-03-20
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Dulcy, you could have what is called Sensory Hypersensitivity, which can be associated with any of the senses. Which is quite a common problem.
Vision, hearing and touch can be effected. Their are de-sensitization techniques that can be used to try and reduce the sensitivity.
It has been suggested that sensory hypersensitivity is in fact our natural level of sensitivity. Though in our modern world with sensory overload, most people's senses have been dulled. As it's the only way to cope.
For tactile hypersensitivity, various brushing techniques are used to reduce it.
Also for auditory hypersensitivity, 'white noise' generators are often used. |
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| tammyk1 |
Posted on December 09 2008 07:37 AM
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Member
Location: ohio
Posts: 128
Joined: 2008-09-03
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Good to know Geoff...
I have hyper-sen to clothing, noise, light, smell, some touches, pretty much the whole gambit.
Clothing-I cant stand to sleep with rings, earrings, neckalaces, and the collars of my shirts drive me insane...I love turtle necks, but I cant stand them for more than a few hours. Socks while sleeping, unless loose will make me want to kill something...
Hearing/smell-I am often the only one that can hear/smell them, and then after a spell of time other people can "tune" into them.
Light-bright light has always drove me insane, I always attributed it to my light blue eyes, but then I realized how I had other sensitivities and figured it was related. You will never find me without sungalsses in any weather or season.
Noise-my biggest nemesis, during tests is the worst.
Touch-I love peeled apples, but can not stand to touch the flesh after they are peeled, same with peeled potatoes.
Would be intersting to know if there is some sort of relationship.
Edited by tammyk1 on December 09 2008 07:38 AM |
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| justfoundout |
Posted on December 09 2008 01:01 PM
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Member
Location: Texas USA
Posts: 3600
Joined: 2008-05-25
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12/9/08
Tammyk1 mentioned Light-bright light. I'm not sure that this is what it means, but I hate the headlights on cars that have those lights with no yellow color to the spectrum they produce. The headlights that have the colorlessness the same as a florescent light,.. but they are super-bright, and pointed straight at you? I have the feeling immediately that they are harming my eyes, even though (surely?) someone has tested them before putting them on the road. - jus' |
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| Dulcy |
Posted on December 09 2008 01:45 PM
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Member
Location: American Southeast
Posts: 202
Joined: 2008-08-27
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Oh, man. Light. I am convinced that in Hell, it's very, very bright.
I ALWAYS wear shades outside. Even my eyeglasses turn dark. If I get too much light, I get vomiting migraines.
My last trip to the eye doc a couple weeks ago had tears pouring down my face. That light they shine in your eyes is really something, made my eyes just pour water.
And my eyes are very dark brown.
"Tell me, what is it you plan to do
with your one wild and precious life?"
The Summer Day by Mary Oliver |
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| reverend blamo |
Posted on December 09 2008 06:33 PM
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Member
Location: Island of Misfit Toys
Posts: 620
Joined: 2007-10-25
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This is one of the things that make me somewhat dysfunctional (not that I am saying you are, but you are one of us ) I have al sorts of weirdness, for example I smell people...yes when people walk by I smell the air. This of course is acurse due to they fact that there are many smelly people (dirty or too perfumed) and that bothers me.
I also have to touch things, esp. fabrics. In stores I am always feeling things to see how they differ, It doesn't matter if it a tire or a flannel shirt.
I can't have tags on my shirts, socks must be on a certain way and nothing too tight.
I also WILL NOT BE TOUCHED by people unless I am 100% comfortable with them. I have hit people for this. (claimed they surprised me )
I wonder why I am still single?
"I used to be disgusted, now I try to be amused..."
Elvis Costello |
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| justfoundout |
Posted on December 09 2008 11:53 PM
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Member
Location: Texas USA
Posts: 3600
Joined: 2008-05-25
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12/9/08
Tags on clothes. Yes, they are 'evil' I tell you, 'evil'! If I try to cut them off wiithout putting on my strong glasses, I end up cutting into the fabric. Then I have to get out the needle and thread and take a few stitches so that the neck won't unravel. Hence, I never know what size anything is that I wear, or even what brand it is, because I always cut off all the tags. - jus' |
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| CheshireKat |
Posted on December 10 2008 03:15 PM
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Member
Location: United States
Posts: 1424
Joined: 2008-11-14
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When I got tested for learning disabilities, I had one score that fell far, far below all the rest of them. My score in this category was 55 (an average score is 100 + 15). The category? Auditory Processing.
When most people are in a "loud" scenario with a lot of different noises, like a crowded party, they can pick one sound - like a person talking to them - and effectively tune out everything else so they can properly hear the one sound. I can't do that. I hear everything, all the time, and I have a very difficult time separating sounds and hearing them properly.
It's not a problem with hearing necessarily - I can hear the sound itself fine - I just can't process the sound and distinguish it from the other sounds around it. Because of this, I find it important to look at people's faces when I speak to them, so that whatever I can't hear correctly I can determine from reading their lips. I am also very easily agitated by repetitive sounds, because unlike a normal person I can't just tune it out. Some soft "white noises" I can get used to, like the sound of a fan or an air conditioner, but others literally make me want to break whatever is making the sound so I don't have to hear it anymore (for instance, some idiot sitting in a car not wearing their seatbelt).
I have no idea if this sound processing deficit is related to the dyscalculia or not. I do know that it impacts my dyscalculia in a classroom setting, because I already can't always hear what the professor is saying, and I can't even make an educated guess with it comes to numbers (versus in other contexts).
This is probably just a quirk of mine, but I also have a very sensitive sense of smell. Most of the time it is inhibited by my allergies (which is actually a good thing) but during the two months out of the year when my allergies aren't acting up, I will be nauseous several times a day due to strong smells wafting by. Even WITH my stopped up sinuses, sometimes at work I will have to excuse myself because a customer's perfume or food or even the air freshener we use in the bathroom will just make me sick from the smell. My friends make fun of me for my "pregnant lady sense of smell" all the time.
Edited by CheshireKat on December 10 2008 03:18 PM
"The hardest arithmetic to master is that which enables us to count our blessings." - Eric Hoffer |
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| Lostinspatial |
Posted on December 10 2008 03:24 PM
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Member
Location: That would require me to know where I was
Posts: 429
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If I'm trying to do anything math/navigation related, I can't deal with any outside noise. Even someone asking the teacher a question would throw me off completely in school during math tests.
I commute via public transit. So I get a nice combo of cell yell, bus noise, gum cracking, etc. Then we sometimes get people who decide their seats aren't enough, they want part of your seat too. Or who recline their seat practically into your lap. I love my music/ocean sounds. I bought some headphones with a foam earbud, which you can roll just like foam earplugs and that helps a great deal with the noise. |
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| reverend blamo |
Posted on December 12 2008 02:09 AM
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Member
Location: Island of Misfit Toys
Posts: 620
Joined: 2007-10-25
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Crowded malls at Chrismas...no worse hell can be found.
I come close to violence. I demand my space be preserved (and those that have seen photos of me know it's a bit of space)
PS...Lost in spatial....nice!
"I used to be disgusted, now I try to be amused..."
Elvis Costello |
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| tammyk1 |
Posted on December 12 2008 04:41 AM
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Member
Location: ohio
Posts: 128
Joined: 2008-09-03
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reverend blamo wrote:
Crowded malls at Chrismas...no worse hell can be found.
I come close to violence. I demand my space be preserved (and those that have seen photos of me know it's a bit of space)
OHHH I am so there with you.
ANY crowded store for me...and people that WONT move while I am trying to hurry to get the F out of there...almost got into a fist fight at Walmart because this women wouldnt move her 400lb rear out of my way. You know the type that leans on their cart and takes up 99.9% of the aisle, and no matter your level of politeness, they still WONT!!! I then throw all politeness out and express my anger verbally...GAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH |
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| Dulcy |
Posted on December 12 2008 01:30 PM
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Member
Location: American Southeast
Posts: 202
Joined: 2008-08-27
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I could have written CheshireKat's post.
And Reverend Blamo's and tammyk1's about the corwds. I cannot even TOLERATE crowds and being impeded. Jostling me will send me into an instant belligerence.
I have an incredibly acute sense of smell, although as long as I can walk away from it, it doesn't really bother me. It only truly bothers me if it's on my person, so deoderants and laundry detergents must be perfume free. Interestingly, I do like environmental scents, like incence and candles, but only if it's not a cloying, heavy scent. Usually, I'll fire up a stick of incense, burn it for a few minutes, then blow it out. That's enough for me.
I am beginning to think this is part of it.
"Tell me, what is it you plan to do
with your one wild and precious life?"
The Summer Day by Mary Oliver |
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| Lostinspatial |
Posted on December 12 2008 02:47 PM
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Member
Location: That would require me to know where I was
Posts: 429
Joined: 2008-06-08
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reverend blamo wrote:
Crowded malls at Chrismas...no worse hell can be found.
I come close to violence. I demand my space be preserved (and those that have seen photos of me know it's a bit of space)
This is why online shopping was invented! I try to do most of mine online. I usually have a bunch of vacation time to use up in December, so whatever I don't get online, I buy on my days off, early in the morning before the crowds gather. I work/get my bus near Rockefeller Center, Radio City Music Hall & Fifth Ave. Needless to say, as much as I enjoy the holiday season, I'm so sick of being bumped into, I'm glad to see it end.
Just be thankful you're not a woman. Try buying stuff in stores from registries for bridal & baby showers. Before the internet, you actually had to go in the store, find the registry and buy the item. After one such adventure for a bridal shower, a friend and I were going to start a business where scantily clad men would serve hors d'oeuvres and drinks and parade housewares around so we could buy the gifts for the bridal shower in a more comfortable environment. But then the internet registries started so we never got past the planning stage.
Edited by Lostinspatial on December 12 2008 02:48 PM |
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| Laura |
Posted on December 12 2008 03:32 PM
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Member
Location: Scotland
Posts: 953
Joined: 2006-11-16
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Hey guys this is possibily irrelevant but i find i can not toolerate people standing behind me nor too close to me. I am fine with people i have built trust upon. But my main and worst phobia if you like is people's EYES. They are really freaky. I can not look at people's eyes at all. I get really agitated and quite embarrssed. This is a massive big problem with me. One of my BEST mates who i have known for a whole year now was talking and asked me "what colour of eyes do i have" I said i don't know. She couldn't believe that i have never looked at her eyes. I am just totally freaked with the EYES. I obviously an look at mines(i would be a bit worried if i couldn't) I can not wer contact lenses as i have this phobia. I can not put Mascarra on either. I was wearing some the other day and my mates thought it was hilarious as i was totally freaked out- had tears streaming down my face. I look at people's mouths and chins. I am more comfortable there than the eyes. I wanna laugh when i HAVE to look at people's eyes. I was made to as a child hence me looking like i am lookign at your eyes when actually i am looking at the mouth or chin.
I suppose this is my Autistic side coming out. My colleague at work said god you are actually Autistic ooopsss
I am quite picky with hygiene. I HAVE OCD TO SOME EXTENT i am always cleaning and washing my hands. My mate was laughing as i always carry hand gel soap with mr. I was ill the other week and she was like i do not know why as you always clean your hands 3 or 4 times each time you wash them. Not good
I love the smell of petrol its amazing
BEEN THERE DONE THAT, GOT THE T-SHIRT |
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| Lostinspatial |
Posted on December 12 2008 03:54 PM
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Member
Location: That would require me to know where I was
Posts: 429
Joined: 2008-06-08
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Laura wrote:
Hey guys this is possibily irrelevant but i find i can not toolerate people standing behind me nor too close to me. I am fine with people i have built trust upon. But my main and worst phobia if you like is people's EYES.
I love the smell of petrol its amazing
I once almost hit someone because they were leaning in near me to press an elevator button and didn't give any warning! While I'm not thrilled to have people get that close to me (unless they're good friends, family, etc), I can deal with it as long as I have some warning (e.g. saying excuse me as you lean in to push the elevator button).
Come to think of it, I'm not really a hugger or toucher unless it close friends, family, etc. |
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| CheshireKat |
Posted on December 12 2008 05:34 PM
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Member
Location: United States
Posts: 1424
Joined: 2008-11-14
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I guess I am kind of an anomaly on this thread, because lots of loud noise doesn't bother me at all. It's not VOLUME so much that aggravates me; it's having multiple sounds going on at once and I can't pick out the one I'm trying to listen to.
The only time that sheer volume aggravates me is when I go into stores that play loud music (Hollister comes to mind immediately). A lot of stores play music, but they play it at a moderate volume so you can still THINK while you're shopping. On the other hand, some stores play it so damn loud and with so much freaking base that I can't even think about what I'm doing, or hear the person next to me, and I just end up getting upset and leaving without buying anything.
One of the myriad jobs I have had in the past was being a camp counselor... you can imagine how many external stimuli play into that occupation! Kids screaming, yelling, crying, laughing... kids don't do anything quietly, regardless of the emotion attached to it. Then there was music playing, other counselors yelling, lights going on and off, games and crafts everywhere, people constantly running into you, hugging you, brushing past you, tugging on you to ask questions... if you can't handle extreme external stimuli, the best advice I can give you is to NEVER work with children. I love it, but that's just me - I thrive on chaos. I also don't mind other people touching me. In fact, I am a "hugger" who is constantly bestowing hugs on other people all the time.
I am curious to see how many people who are hypersensitive to external stimuli have more than just dyscalculia. Is it possible that what we have "in addition to" dyscalculia is making it worse?
For example, ADHD runs heavily in my family, and while I've never been tested for it my family is quite sure that I have it too. I think that (probably) having ADHD makes me more conditioned to lots of external stimuli - because I am constantly hearing and seeing things from all over the place, unable to focus my attention on just one. I've been that way my whole life, so it is natural for me to take note of and observe multiple things at once.
Then again, for someone with another kind of disorder, that disorder secondary to dyscalculia could make the external stimuli sensitivity worse. Does anyone follow me on that?
Edited by CheshireKat on December 12 2008 05:43 PM
"The hardest arithmetic to master is that which enables us to count our blessings." - Eric Hoffer |
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