I grew up on a farm and was homeschooled. My Mom would go through times she was overwhelmed so we wouldn't go anywhere for a month at a time. Once I moved to a small town at 17 years old, a lot of normal things were scary and overwhelming, such as ordering food at a new restaurant, new situations in general, etc. This wasn't just because of the way I grew up, because my siblings adjusted much better than I did. They don't have the mental issues I have, despite living through the same abuse.
But I digress. My first full-time job, I was a kindergarten aide and admin assistant at a private school. It was very draining. I went from spending a lot of time at home (homeschool, part-time jobs) to being out of the house a lot. I didn't get the rest I needed, I wouldn't sleep enough, then end up having to go to bed really early. It was hard to do much besides work, but it didn't stop me, I still dated, went to social meetups, and church stuff. But I suffered for the lack of rest, and sensory overload arose as kind of a new symptom.
I think twice or thrice in the past year, it's been auditory for a few days. People talking at a low level was painful. I used earplugs and headphones to get through it. More recently it's been visual and much more regularly. In the evenings, I will turn out the lights except for maybe a very dim lamp or a light on in a room I'm not in. In May I discovered a secret weapon, sunglasses xD I sometimes wear them indoors during the day, especially if I'm around a lot of people. I felt safer wearing them in grocery stores. Sometimes my eyes or head hurt and I just don't want to see anymore xD
I lost my sense of smell during COVID, even though I was never sick, and I loved it. I hate smelling things, even if they smell 'nice', it's usually too strong/overpowering. I hate candles, perfume, etc. I like everything to smell neutral or not even notice the smell.
Sometimes the feeling of brushing my teeth is repulsive. Sometimes certain types of clothes on my skin feel like being in restraints. Sometimes I hate to be touched.
Is this common in PTSD? How do you manage it? It was bad enough I thought I might have autism, but I don't, just PTSD.
But I digress. My first full-time job, I was a kindergarten aide and admin assistant at a private school. It was very draining. I went from spending a lot of time at home (homeschool, part-time jobs) to being out of the house a lot. I didn't get the rest I needed, I wouldn't sleep enough, then end up having to go to bed really early. It was hard to do much besides work, but it didn't stop me, I still dated, went to social meetups, and church stuff. But I suffered for the lack of rest, and sensory overload arose as kind of a new symptom.
I think twice or thrice in the past year, it's been auditory for a few days. People talking at a low level was painful. I used earplugs and headphones to get through it. More recently it's been visual and much more regularly. In the evenings, I will turn out the lights except for maybe a very dim lamp or a light on in a room I'm not in. In May I discovered a secret weapon, sunglasses xD I sometimes wear them indoors during the day, especially if I'm around a lot of people. I felt safer wearing them in grocery stores. Sometimes my eyes or head hurt and I just don't want to see anymore xD
I lost my sense of smell during COVID, even though I was never sick, and I loved it. I hate smelling things, even if they smell 'nice', it's usually too strong/overpowering. I hate candles, perfume, etc. I like everything to smell neutral or not even notice the smell.
Sometimes the feeling of brushing my teeth is repulsive. Sometimes certain types of clothes on my skin feel like being in restraints. Sometimes I hate to be touched.
Is this common in PTSD? How do you manage it? It was bad enough I thought I might have autism, but I don't, just PTSD.
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