Sensory Overload - What drives you bonkers?

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Too much movement and bright flashy lights I don't expect, loud noises, crowds people have so many smells.

Noises:

anything repetitive
loud/clamoring
sudden/unexpected
idle chatter
background annoyance/things i can't ignore
background conversation
noises I can't identify origination point for


Also:
messes/disarray/unorganized/clutter
stepping out of the shower without a rug available (bare floor)
walking barefoot anywhere, really *shudder*
eating vegetables
corkboard
loose strands of hair
intense light/sunshine/fluorescent lighting
wool clothing
busy, crowded enclosed spaces
too tight clothing
burning smells
wet dogs/dog smells
"people" smells
specific people's voices
fake laughter
hands not being clean

that sort of stuff.

And yes, i HATE the licking of fingers. can't stand eating near people who do that.

I actually do love paint fumes. Love construction smells, and the smell of gasoline...

It depends on the day I am having, but the things that drive me the most crazy are humidity, people talking loudly, and chaos.

Once in science class, we were making salt & vinegar popcorn. The smell of the cooking oil was overwhelming and made me feel physically sick, I had to get out of the classroom and I almost threw up (gagged a bit and just "threw up" a lot of saliva). It's making me nauseous now just thinking about! I stayed outside for the rest of the lesson and when it ended I made a friend go get my backpack and things, because I certainly wasn't going back in there!

When I was a kid I had a Human Body book, because I was really into learning about body functions and names of bones. In some section about smell, there was a scratch-n-sniff picture of a rose, but the smell was actually some kind of gas. It was absolutely horrible. That book was my favourite, but it stunk ever since I scratched that damn thing, and I couldn't even keep it in my room without detecting that overwhelming stench. I made my parents keep it in their closet, far away from my room at the other end of the house! It made me sick and was like fingernails on a chalkboard times 100. Other people agreed that it wasn't the nicest smell in the world but they thought it "wasn't that bad"! and they couldn't understand why I reacted so negatively towards it.

However... Smells I LOVE are freshly-washed sheets (I could sometimes be found napping in a shelf of the linen closet when I was little enough!), most books, and the smell that comes out of car air-conditioners.

My granddaughter has a bitonal, dissonant, ratchety scream (when she gets good and worked up) that I would throw people under a bus to make stop...

Mostly tactile things
Chemical smells
Some foods

Anything will bother me to some extent (crowds are awful, but I'm not phobic like some people), but not much completely repels me.

I can be startled very easily.

Does motion bother anyone else? For example: riding in a car with a jerky transmission, or a person with erratic driving habits who swerves around a lot and does sudden stops?

Does motion bother anyone else? For example: riding in a car with a jerky transmission, or a person with erratic driving habits who swerves around a lot and does sudden stops? I get disoriented just being in a moving vehicle, or having to change direction suddenly. It isn't quite vertigo, my senses get scrambled.

The thing that sets me off the most is being in a noisy room full of talking people.

Oh, so many, which ones to list...?

--crinkly wrappers, including candy wrappers. On many occasions I've walked out of theatres, in the middle of a play, because I couldn't stand sitting there listening to it.

--people chewing gum; I hate the smell too, and those stupid blister packs.

--people clicking their mouse or loud typing (no longer a problem since I'm done school, but I've walked out of many-a-class)

--pretty much any artificial smell that's fruity or musky. (I don't mind chemical smells like bleach, plastic, etc) Artificial vanilla, mint, and coconut, banana and strawberry are the worst. (I do like 'sharp, clean' fruits like citrus and kiwi.)

--touching metal, especially dusty dry metal, or metal with a coarse surface.

--the smell, texture, and the very sight of opaque soap. Get it away from me! I only use glycerine soap.

--Also, most cosmetics, especially opaque ones, and I quite hate toothpaste as well.

--the smell of bouce sheets and baby powder

--watching people fiddle with things with the tips of their fingers. I feel like my own nerves are being short-curcuited or something. I can't close my eyes, because I know they're still doing it.

The feeling of cooking oil or anything of a similar texture. If I get any on my hands I need to get it off immediately or else I panic.

The bass in the stereo of my mothers car. When I hear the bass I get nauseas and a weird feeling in my head.

I hate wet clothes against skin. There is no issue of pain but like someone said about chalk screeching against the blackboard, it just feels very unpleasant. I also don't like the feeling of creams or oils on my skin and then touching clothing. But I can tolerate it if I have to.

The thing that will get a physical reaction out of me is high places. It is simply a very unpleasant sensation that I have that feels overwhelming depending on the circumstances. I can experience this to a lesser degree standing next to a skyscraper and looking up. I am not sure if this counts as a "sensory overload" or not. Strangely enough, I don't have much of a problem on an airplane at a window seat.