Sensory Triggers & Spoon Theory

(That's quite a cloud of stink)

I call it ''perfume overdose'', it upsets my nose , 

intense elderflower aroma makes me feint

bleach odour - makes me want to throw up, 

burning incense sticks - guranteed throw up if I stay in range for 1 minute. 

to those reasons upsetting my ears I would add scratching expanded polystyrene, it makes my skin goosebump aswelll, especially on my back and arms, I always think when it happens that it must be how cats feel when their fur stands up

flashing lights cyclists begun to favour makes me dizzy in a minute, I found out last week cycling behind granpa who had flasking back red on his bike, I had to stop

A friend with Fibromylagia introduced me to the Spoon Theory after I was diagnosed with Hypothyroidism approximately 10 years ago. It made perfect sense to me, and I've found it an effective way of explaining to other people how my condition affects me.

A few years ago, I was unofficially diagnosed with Autism. I suffer with social anxiety, and even when I'm with people I know and get on with, I can quickly feel mentally drained. The Spoon Theory has proven useful for explaining autism-related burnout.

As for sensory triggers, I definitely have misophonia (audiitory triggers). I find it hard to tolerate the sound of people eating. I used to enjoy eating out, but as I've got older I have found the sound of cutlery scraping against plates to be an issue too. I don't like the sound of loud/noisy cars and motorbikes when I'm outdoors. If my phone rings it often startles me... Fortunately, I rarely receive incoming phone calls. I have a neighbour with low functioning autism who regularly jumps (stims). Whilst I know that he cannot help it and understand that it is something he needs to do, the sound/vibrations can be enough to drive me quietly insane.

The smell and taste of mushrooms causes me to feel nauseous, as does fresh ginger. Floral smells I cannot abide, and anything lavender-fragranced often brings on a migraine.

Fabrics I don't really have an issue with unless they contain lace, or are made from scritchy wool.

I find rapid flashing lights can cause my eyes to hurt, along with blindingly bright LED lights on modern vehicles.

Do you have a https://lightaware.org card? There's a tiny clause in the new laws regarding lights that those of us with sensitivity will still be able to buy filament (which mirrors sunlight rather than flickers off and on at a high speed like LEDs) based bulbs. 

Lights. I hate them. i wear sunglasses indoors and it annoys people.I some time use earphones to dull the noise around me. will occasional wear thick hooded jumpers to focus on certain people to concentrate my hearing. The smell of powdered cheese on quavers and wotsits rapidly decreases my tolerance to stimuli.   

spoon theory helps but its not a solution. I'm more of a bones or no bones kinda person.

Wool will get to me quickly, slick textures like moisturising cream and sun cream are an almost instant meltdown and I'm physically unable to swallow them.

Busy sounds, so crowds or just a high street or shop wear down my resistance quickly.

While spoon theory works sometimes, I prefer the bucket analogy 

Hahahaha sorry. Totally get this!

I agree with itchy labels. As a child I also had problems with wool jumpers-could even feel it with a t-shirt on. Now just avoid wool. Other thing is polystyrene, the feel and the sound.

Oh yes, that sticky, waxy sensation 

If spoon theory applies to me, then it is a modified one. I have access to lots of spoons, then the cutlery drawer unexpectedly jams, and I have no spoons available. There is no indication of spoon numbers diminishing at all.

Oh God! Me too. That and kagoule sleeves.

that's an interesting one! Certain fabrics can be quite unpleasant to wear - especially garments with itchy labels, crunchy or rough fabric, etc

mi=y main one is those swimsuit material pants rubbing together. its awful.

Definitely agree with you there - auditory triggers "upset my ears". That's the phrase we use at home - my assessor knew exactly what I meant by that.

I remember being stuck next to someone at a dinner function, and COULD NOT stomach the sounds she made when she ate. I swear she was using her cheek muscles to "chew" her food instead of her teeth. I wanted to rip my ears off and scream.

I had a manager who sat opposite me, must be 15 years ago now but I can still hear it in my head, plain as day - her jaw cracked when she ate - with every single chew. Made me want to puke. She always smelled of fake tan, dry shampoo and cheap perfume. (That's quite a cloud of stink) Fake tan is one of the worst smell triggers for me, and the Mugler perfume (Angel, the blue one).

I'm stuck in a small flat at the moment, waiting for a move date. It's a communal block of flats with a lot of activity round the clock with various people moving around for night shifts at all hours. You can hear all the doors slamming and intercoms buzzing, which also upsets my dog.

I've also got PTSD so it's been torture since we moved in.

I can recommend some good headphones for noise cancelling, as it has a switch to turn off the bass - or change it to a more tolerable level - they are Skullcandy Crusher ANC. When there's chaotic cacophony around me, they REALLY help.

Any eating noises will literally kill me. When there are a bunch pf people talking at once in a room I will start to get very overwhelmed. When my brothers make sound effects when they're playing games. So many fabrics make me recoil. It is both a sensory and a ptsd trigger whenever anything touches my face. Baked beans and asparagus make me wanna puke. Those are just a few of the sensory issues I have. I call my auditory triggers bad noises lol

Dear Hello_There, 

Thank you for posting in the online community.   

You may find our webpage about sensory differences interesting, you can view this here https://www.autism.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/topics/sensory-differences/sensory-differences/all-audiences

 Jamie+Lion talks about spoon theory in his article about how he uses his social care budget. https://www.autism.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/professional-practice/social-care-budget

I hope you find this helpful. 

Liz Mod