Neurodiversity

[Bit]

{{{{{{{{{{{{belle}}}}}}}}}}}}

Both happen to me, love; I am slowly coming to understand when I am overloaded while it's still happening. The worst for me is when I am at a really big store with a LOT of noise, like a Home Depot with the forklifts backing up and beeping, those extra loud announcements they make, and the echoes of everything (including customer noise) off the hard surfaces; also in a Walmart, with lots of people making noise, kids crying or screaming... sometimes that happens to me in the regular grocery store, too, if kids are screaming and the muzak is playing and announcements are being made... *shudders*

I've noticed that fluorescent lights and concrete floors are also a bad combo for me.

BUT if I'm not in one of those places, I don't usually recognize that I'm overloaded until afterwards... and then I finds myself thinking, "well, duh! no wonder" and feeling kind of sheepish about not recognizing it while it was happening.

I stopped reading the hsp book, btw... she was talking a lot about social cues and responding appropriately and it's really valuable--I found myself wondering if it might be as valuable to someone who has Asperger's as to people who are highly sensitive because of the emphasis she puts on setting appropriate social boundaries and on responding appropriately; it's really gentle and full of information--but life itself suddenly got overwhelming to me and I put the book down. I have to finish it soon.