sensory nightmare

[sensorynightmare]

just thought this might be an interesting thread!

what is your sensory nightmare?! either NT, ND, ASD, doesn't matter anyone can comment :)

mine is grease- it gives me absolute shudders and I can't eat anything greasy with my hands. I use a spoon or gloves for crisps and the idea of eating a McDonalds/any takeaway with my hands makes me feel physically sick. I can't tolerate skincare products that feel remotely greasy either.

the other thing is the feeling of being in my bed and not having any socks on and my feet sweating on the covers. again, can't explain how sick this makes me feel but it is absolutely awful!

what's your sensory nightmare? :)

Velvet 🤢

The feeling and sound of someone rubbing their hands or feet on carpet

Dry sponges

The feeling and sound of a bristle brush on concrete

Chalk and chalk on a chalkboard

Brushing my teeth with a manual toothbrush

Repetitive sounds particularly rattles in the car. Makes me want to murder someone!

So many 🤣🤣

I hate the sound of someone sweeping with a broom. I can physically feel it and it feels horrible.

Wooden cutlery/lolly sticks/wooden rolling pins etc, I just can't.

Also, when there is music on but it's just that bit too quiet to actually hear the song properly. I can't stand it. My DH often has it like this in the car and it actually makes me feel anxious for some reason. I'd rather it was too loud!

Hair in food
Noisy people
Shouting
Screaming babies/kids
Squeaky hinges
Squeaky chalk
Being touched lightly
Having my hair petted
The sound of one of the cats throwing up
Cleaning up cat vomit with paper towels and the paper breaks and you touch cold slimy cat vomit 🤮
The feeling of walking on a sticky surface
The feeling of touching a sticky surface
Chewing vegetables like a piece of asparagus and part of it is stringy or fibrous

Touching Cotton clothes after moisturising makes me shudder

Also touching paper sometimes makes me shudder

Whilst there are some touch things I struggle with, light and noise are a bigger issue. Any repetitive noise - ticking clock, clicking fingers/tongue, biting nails, tapping etc really get to me. So do very bright lights or anything flashing.

Coins. They make me almost retch even thinking about them. I can't touch them or even look at them.

My husband has to keep his loose change hidden from me and never mention it.

Teeth. I've deleted people from Facebook who have posted pics of their kids teeth hanging out.

The sound of someone eating a boiled sweet.

The smell of minty chewing gum. Urrgh.

Whistling. OMG.

I'm sensitive to smells. It's mostly traditional 'bad' smells. I love natural rose scents, but DH bought me an essential oil roller with rose oil, and it smells like vomit to me.

-chewy fat
-gristle
-hard or overly fibrous bits of certain vegetables (like PP)
-superglue dried on my fingers
-the feeling of grit or sand underfoot indoors or in my shoes (don't mind sand at the beach)
-persistent dog barking or whining

(Most of those are probably fairly universal, admittedly.)

You've just listed all the things that make me squirm, wooden lolly sticks, straws etc send shivers up my spine.

Touching anything when my hands are wrinkly from water after shower/bath/swim, in particular other people’s skin

The noise of iron weights clanging together in the gym. Or the noise glass bottles make when I throw them into recycling bins.

Velvet, and the sound polystyrene makes.

Tomato skins when the tomatoes are past their best and the skins are a bit wrinkly give me the heebie jeebies.

I find the static noise of a badly tuned car radio weirdly distressing.

The smell of odour-neutralising sprays make me retch.

Also velvet and crockery without a smooth glaze as previously mentioned.

Straws- can't stand the weird papery hollow feeling

Lots of little holes together, or bacteria. I think there was an advert for Sanex deodorant a few years ago which had lots of dots together on it. And those ads for hair transplants. Urghhhh

Banging noises of any kind

Making meatballs or burger for the kids. Anything that leaves sticky, fatty residue all over my hands gets my sensory hackles up. As I’m preparing the meatballs, I’m already thinking about the hot water and fairy liquid my hands will soon be saved by.

Walking across floors without house shoes/slippers. Shudder!

Wearing outside shoes inside the house.

Crumbs

Aluminium foil. I hate handling it. I hate how industrial and sharp it is.
Opening tins too is another aluminium pet peeve… the sharpness, the cold metal, the cut risk, the cold food warehoused forever inside that tin.

Bare wet feet on the bath mat. I hate feeling like my freshly showered feet are collecting fluff the minute I step out onto the mat.

Wet washing, especially if you have to put your hands inside a wet inside out sleeve 🤢

Bacon rind 🤮

Velvet, microfibre and brushes.
I cannot watch people on TV brush their teeth, it gives me goosebumps.

The only thing I can’t stand is cooked egg yolk. That revolting texture! 🤮 Can’t eat cooked eggs at all.

Water poured and making a trickling or glugging sound ARGH makes me stabby

Also chalk and chalkboards

Anything smeary or smudgy - smudged pen 🤢

Paper when it gets wet or oil on it

Chewing and swallowing noises

Dry skin on my feet catching on socks

any kind of scrapy noise

Apparently the holes thing is really common!

Top of the list is wet cloths 🤮

The cat high pitched alarms that humans aren't supposed to hear but I can hear them really well and they drive me around the bend.

My daughter can hear a mouse one plugged in at my parents' (I can't) and it really bothers her. They sigh a bit but will turn it off when she mentions it. Then they sneak it back on when she's left the room and are surprised when she moans again!