Bernie's_mom
Learning
What an interesting thread. I guess I always "knew" that my sensory issues were PTSD related.
Like every other person that posted, I can relate to the problem of noise. The more symptoms/anxiety I'm having, the more I am unable to handle surrounding "commotion". So it's not just volume, but activity. My home is kept quieter than the public library (unless I am watching a show on TV--and the TV is only allowed on during that specific time). I probably have the most quiet, mellow, laid-back teenagers on the planet. They seem to understand that when Mom is home she needs a peaceful sanctuary.
One thing that no one else mentioned, though, is smell. More than anything else, I am hyper-sensitive to odors. I cannot stand cooking odors. I hate those smells in my hair or clothes. I hate those smells in other persons' clothes. I avoid going into any type of restaurant. I have hundreds of dollars worth of essential oils and candles and odor eliminators and perfumes. When my boys grow up and leave the house, I will probably never cook another meal in my house for as long as I live.
If the temps are above 60 degrees F, all the windows in the house have to be open in order to have fresh air and get rid of odors. Odors are down-right distressing for me.
Problem is, nobody gets that. People do not understand this. My husband did not tolerate this little quirk of mine. It was just one more thing that gave him an excuse to be mean to me. Now my older son gets angry whenever he sees me going for the bottle of odor eliminator. Am I the only freak of nature here?
Like every other person that posted, I can relate to the problem of noise. The more symptoms/anxiety I'm having, the more I am unable to handle surrounding "commotion". So it's not just volume, but activity. My home is kept quieter than the public library (unless I am watching a show on TV--and the TV is only allowed on during that specific time). I probably have the most quiet, mellow, laid-back teenagers on the planet. They seem to understand that when Mom is home she needs a peaceful sanctuary.
One thing that no one else mentioned, though, is smell. More than anything else, I am hyper-sensitive to odors. I cannot stand cooking odors. I hate those smells in my hair or clothes. I hate those smells in other persons' clothes. I avoid going into any type of restaurant. I have hundreds of dollars worth of essential oils and candles and odor eliminators and perfumes. When my boys grow up and leave the house, I will probably never cook another meal in my house for as long as I live.
If the temps are above 60 degrees F, all the windows in the house have to be open in order to have fresh air and get rid of odors. Odors are down-right distressing for me.
Problem is, nobody gets that. People do not understand this. My husband did not tolerate this little quirk of mine. It was just one more thing that gave him an excuse to be mean to me. Now my older son gets angry whenever he sees me going for the bottle of odor eliminator. Am I the only freak of nature here?