Adult Sensory Issues

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Sooo... as a kid, my sensory issues were kind of put to the wayside and I hid them quite a bit... but being strongly discomforted by certain stimuli is a real thing I'm realizing and I would like to address some things that still bug me...

I have a bunch of sensory issues, and below I include a few of the big ones. Again, I never addressed them before this year, and I'd like some extra advice.

1.) I can't brush my teeth because of both the tactile feeling and adversion to the actual sound (I don't know if this weird...) (Obviously I need to get some dental care pretty quick, but then how do I start brushing my teeth? This is something I never wanted to deal with because I didn't understand it.
2.) Most screens bother me a lot because of the glare, sometimes the brightness against a dark room -especially if it's moving around, but especially just because of how stimulating everything happenning on the screen is. This includes phones, TVs, and computers. I have to ask my friends to hand me their phone rather than shoving the screen into my face like they do with all their other friends.
3.) Sometimes I just need pressure. I might lay on the floor, but often I need to hug myself or tie a rope or towel around myself. I've been thinking of getting a life jacket or weighted vest. I used to sleep with literal bricks on my chest/stomach.
4.) How often people turn on / off the lights is really annoying and usually I close my eyes.
5.) Sometimes I just go crazy knowing I need some sort of stimuli but can't produce it the right way, or I'm not sure what I'm craving. I know this is because I've gone so long just ignoring my sensory needs. But if it gets bad, I'll hit myself or use otherwise self-injurious behavior, not because I want to but because I don't know what I'm craving. I've recently learned when I get like this, I can spin in circles, or I can even roll around on the floor.

I've got sensory issues, but the only one I have that you named is brushing your teeth. I can brush my teeth but I cannot floss. It makes me feel like other people describe chalk squeaking on a blackboard, but it occurs to me that many people on this forum may not know what a blackboard is. Suffice it to say that even people without sensory issus cringe at the sound.

My dentist, who I think was picking up on my sensory issues, suggested a water pik. It took a bit to get used to it, but I like it way more than flossing.

I had issues such as noise levels being too high when I was a kid, e.g. using a vacuum cleaner, going to a disco/party, out shopping, school corridors. Nowadays i've gotten used to the noise but it irritates me at a low level, where I feel like i am having a mini-meltdown if exposed to such situations for too long. I used to like open spaces and was claustrophobic in my childhood but now i've overcome fears like height, crowds, going out on my own, however i've grown to be a bit agoraphobic in my adulthood and when it rains it becomes harder to breathe or sleep.

I find your post very interesting because I don't understand how you can just get used to noises so that they only bother you at a very low level now. I don't think that is possible for me. I wonder if our sensory sensitivities work differently. The things that I am sensitive to whether they be sounds or textures or certain lights or touches, there is nothing I can do to get used to them. Even the tiniest exposure can sometimes make me have really bad meltdowns. I can only tolerate them for a very little while if my energy reserves are really high. But it is impossible for me to get used to them. I am happy for you that you can. That is great. I am just really fascinated that you can though.

Cats are a nice substitute for bricks. Once I settle in, I usually end up with one cat on my feet, one cat on my chest, and one by my side.

Like you, I had issues with noise levels being too high as a kid. Most notable were the vacuum, water running out of the bath down the drain, the toilet flushing, and pressure cookers. Now, I'm very easily distracted and irritated by noises but they're often not unbearable. Some will make me jump/want to crawl out of my skin though (like sirens, loud exhaust engines, sudden bangs and things like that)