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A new sensory challenge

Oakling

So, something strange has been happening for a few weeks now and it seems to be getting a bit worse as it goes on. I’m really starting to struggle with taste in a similar way to how I have historically struggled with noise. It’s overwhelming and is starting to seem like overload.

I love food and a wide variety of it too (with the exception of dairy, which I’ve always struggled with). But now, I’m getting no joy from it what so ever. If anything, I’m starting to struggle with a lot of it.

I’m able to eat most fruits and vegetables and some meats, so I’m not in any danger of going hungry, but I’m getting overwhelmed by tastes that would have comforted me in the past. Eating whole meals is proving to be quite the challenge and I’m tired at the end of eating.

It’s new and is becoming a challenge to navigate. It’s also a complete surprise every time, which doesn’t help either!

I’m wondering if it is fallout from the long and slow burnout that I was experiencing in the run up to Christmas and that I’m still navigating. I don’t know really. 

Parents

  • It is common with burnout that sensory tolerance reduces. I certainly get that with noise. A new phrase that I learned recently and which helps to explain a lot is 'window of tolerance'. When we are stressed and burnt out the window of tolerance before we are triggered becomes much smaller. Therefore things that we could previously tolerate suddenly become intolerable.

    I too get that element of surprise. I have had a lifelong battle with anxiety and it often surprises me and presents with things and situations that I was not previously anxious about or fearful of. It's like my anxiety is constantly looking for new ways to torment me, Since my diagnosis I have started to understand more that a lot of this is actually due to sensory distress and trauma rather than just anxiety.

    Try not to beat yourself up about it. If there is a food on the plate which you cannot tolerate at that time then don't feel guilty about leaving it and opting for something else instead.

  • in reply to Autonomistic

    Thanks for the helpful information Autonomistic. The ‘window of tolerance’ concept is an interesting one and would certainly go some way to explaining what I’m currently experiencing. This one has never happened to me before, but it follows the theme of others that have, so I guess it makes sense really.

    Your comments on anxiety ring true for me too I’m afraid, but like you said, I have wondered if sensory distress has often had a lot to do with it. Anxiety comes with a whole host of physical symptoms and that feeling of sensory overload does exactly the same, at least in the way I interpret it. If the word’s various stimuli cause this reaction for some of us, it is no wonder why anxiety becomes so prominent. This is probably a very oversimplified explanation on my part, but is just an attempt at understanding my experiences I suppose.

    Autonomistic said:
    Try not to beat yourself up about it. If there is a food on the plate which you cannot tolerate at that time then don't feel guilty about leaving it and opting for something else instead.

    This is very fair too, perhaps I just need to slow down and let this play out for a while.

    Cheers once again.

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  • in reply to Autonomistic

    Thanks for the helpful information Autonomistic. The ‘window of tolerance’ concept is an interesting one and would certainly go some way to explaining what I’m currently experiencing. This one has never happened to me before, but it follows the theme of others that have, so I guess it makes sense really.

    Your comments on anxiety ring true for me too I’m afraid, but like you said, I have wondered if sensory distress has often had a lot to do with it. Anxiety comes with a whole host of physical symptoms and that feeling of sensory overload does exactly the same, at least in the way I interpret it. If the word’s various stimuli cause this reaction for some of us, it is no wonder why anxiety becomes so prominent. This is probably a very oversimplified explanation on my part, but is just an attempt at understanding my experiences I suppose.

    Autonomistic said:
    Try not to beat yourself up about it. If there is a food on the plate which you cannot tolerate at that time then don't feel guilty about leaving it and opting for something else instead.

    This is very fair too, perhaps I just need to slow down and let this play out for a while.

    Cheers once again.

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