I hear a lot of talk about sensory issues here and had a question. Generally, I would say I don't have sensory issues the way they are described here. Fluorescent lights and some noises bug me, but just really not to any extend where it actually affects my ability to function... just kind of annoying and if I can avoid them I will.
What really seems to bother me and make me kind of shutdown seems to be the number of inputs. If I go to a bar when it is busy and everyone is talking I find it almost impossible to listen to what someone who is talking to me is saying. I can hear them just fine, but I feel like I can't tune into what they are telling me over everything else.
I've talked to a friend about this before and he just told me 'Yeah, it is loud, its hard to hear', but that doesn't really describe what I experience. I don't really even think it is because of the volume, in small groups with people talking at a normal volume I have the same problem if more than one person is talking at once. I hear both conversations and can't really focus just on one of them.
I can feel the same way going into a busy store. I went to a Best Buy yesterday and it was pretty packed with people, the light in there felt kind of odd and there was this loud air conditioning noise in the background. I just kind of felt like if one or two of those things were changed a bit, no AC going, a few less people, etc I would have felt better being there.
Would 'too many inputs' be considered a sensory issue or are sensory issues just about the 'type of input'?
17 Jun 2011, 12:05 pm
