4 Things That Are Difficult for Me as Someone With Sensory Issues

Sensory issues are complex and often misunderstood. Sometimes people don’t understand how to respond to those of us with sensory issues. What might be obvious to someone is not always as obvious to everyone, which I’ve noticed as a person with sensory issues interacting with people who don’t have them. Here are the things that are difficult for me as a person with sensory issues:

1. Staying still: I’ve heard so many people say to me, “It’s OK! Just try to stay still.” The problem is, I cannot all of the sudden stay still. It takes a lot of calming before I’m able to discontinue flapping and shaking. 

2. Staying quiet: Although I’m sensitive to noise, it’s near impossible for me to stay quiet. Personally, I have extreme trouble with this. I feel that every time a noise suddenly erupts through the air or something suddenly touches me, I burst straight into a scream. For me it can be an unhealthy yet habitual reaction. 

3. Brightness: Once I had a class that took place in a bright orange room, and I found myself constantly attempting to escape it. Personally, any room colored orange is difficult to enter without also entering into a panic attack. Usually that is the case for bright rooms for me.

4. Public places: Imagine paying attention to a hundred conversations at the same time. For many, that might be “normal,” but for people with sensory issues, it can be a nightmare. Everything seems like a volcanic eruption. It is being pushed into unfamiliar faces, places, and everything jumbled together into one.

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