Can stress cause a higher sensitivity for Autistic people?

Post Reply New Topic

hi everyone, so i found out a few months ago that we have to move AGAIN.

but this time, were moving across canada, all the way to Alberta.

THATS F*CKING FAR!!

so ive been mentally preparing myself best i can. but lately

my ears have been REALLY sensitive, ive felt this way before but its odd because its all the sudden, lights have been really bright lately too.

but then i realised, im under a lot of stress. it may be the cause of my sensitivities;

does anyone else find that when theyre stressed/ anxious, theyre sensitivites increase?

Yes, resounding yes!

Absolutely. I remember when I was living with my stepmother and her family, I was almost constantly stressed out, and it severely exacerbated my sensory problems, which further exacerbated my stress, creating a vicious circle. The sounds of people stomping around, talking, cutlery clattering, the dog barking, all drove me insane. It got even worse when my half brother started crawling and vocalizing. I was so thankful to get out of that living situation into one where I actually have some peace and quiet. I can think more clearly, I'm not so stressed out, and I generally function better now. That said, it still pisses me off once in a while when I hear my friend's dogs barking and howling, but at least it's not constant.

Also, I wish you good luck on your move to Alberta. Compared to some of the other provinces, I don't really see why people think we're so great, but apparently the jobs here are good. On that note, one thing you'll want to know about Alberta is that people here tend to be very conservative and career/wealth-oriented compared to people from other provinces. We have a lot of people who work their butts off and make tons of money doing it, but they are also very intolerant of people who have "different" ideas or views. Not all Albertans are like this, and we do certainly have a lot of more liberal types as well, but just compared to places like BC and Ontario, we tend to err on the more conservative side.

For the record, I don't consider myself a conservative Albertan. If anything, I consider myself a BC native who just happened to be born in the wrong province. The BC "mentality" is more what I fit into.

Absolutely, definitely yes. For me, it's especially true for sound issues.

Most definitely yes.

As far as I know, also definitely yes.

Yes.

In fact, managing stress is one of the primary ways to make life with autism better.

You move has used up a lot of cognitive resources. Right now you have to devote a lot of brain space to all the new things you're encountering. You have less left over for other things.

Be gentle with yourself while you get used to these new things. Take time off the most stressful parts of your life, and explore your new surroundings. Once things start to feel familiar and dependable again, you will start to feel much better.

That's a hell of a drive! how you making the trek?

I just looked it up and google said 59 hours driving!! only takes about 10 hours to drive my whole country!

Hehe, yeah, the US and Canada are big countries. We kind of get used to making long trips when we have to. We stop halfway at a hotel, or even twice during the trip if it's really long. Or if we've got the money, we take a plane.

It annoys me sometimes, because you can't get anywhere useful on a bicycle around here; everything's so far away that we need cars. That's probably why we use up so much gas per person, more than anywhere else.

10 hours to drive your whole country??! !! !! That is a teeny tiny country. I've driven longer than that to deliver a package all in one shot in an 88 Suzuki Samurai.

I totally get this when stressed out. Like when i started having major difficulties a couple of moths ago keeping up in the mainstream classes I took.

MOST DEFINATELY.

When I am stressed I am more sensitive to the feeling of clothing (which for me causes panic attacks).

Yes, yes, yes. All of my sensory issues get turned up to 11 whenever I'm stressed out. Smell, light, sound, touch, taste all go haywire, and it's all I can do to be at work and deal with other people's perfumes, lotions, laundry scented clothing; the flickering fluorescent bulbs; people in adjacent offices being on the phone or having conversations with other people; the clothes I can comfortably wear; the food I can eat.

well be Flying on a plane, which makes me nervous because ive never been on a plane

You can comfortably drive France, Spain, or Germany in that time. Italy is a bit of a stretch because it is long and thin. Britain is hard because our roads are a bit rubbish in Cornwall and the Highlands.

Edit: just realised who the posters was who said that. Guessing he was being more optimistic than Google, or maybe talking about England, or stopping at Aberdeen.