Going from OK to overload

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I have a friend who won't shut up.

I can listen to her and respond for a while and then suddenly I can't listen to one...more... word. I

can't process anymore and I have to fight to keep from screaming STFU at her. There's no hinting to be done

because I go from zero to overload with no in between. Does anyone else find the overload comes on very quickly

with no gradual build up?

edit: perhaps a kinder way to put it is I can be social with a hypertalker until suddenly I just can't.

Sometimes this happens to me, without warning. We have to be careful, because it is not easy for those of us on the spectrum to know how much information has entered our nervous system, before we become fully saturated; which is when overload occurs.

This happens to me almost daily. There are a couple people in my life who will talk me into an overwhelmed state in a matter of minutes. I just want to be left alone and they just don't seem to get it.

Scotty, I think you have a very good point. I'd never thought of it that way. I wonder what signs we can look for. I only know once it's too late. Light becomes too much, every sound seems magnified, etc.

Yes. All the time.

I used to work 10 hour shifts as a bartender. Everyone used to comment on my calm, passive demeanor amidst all the craziness. Little did they know I was shrieking on the inside. When I got off I had to slam drinks to keep from going berserk. I know now I can't handle high sensory situations like that for very long, particularly if I'm required to engage with people.

That sounds like me at work - I stare off a lot and the students make fun of me for doing it but it's because if I don't I'll snap and rip them to shreds.

I had an imaginary Uzi.

I find that it is primarily other people who cause a meltdown, inadvertantly or not. But also overexertion or overwork is something to watch for. I spend most of my time by myself, so meltdowns aren't always a huge problem. I just hate the suddeness with which they can occur. Its one of the problems that comes from being unable to recognize my own emotional state much of the time.

There is a girl in three of my classes that is like that. Constantly talking...butts into every conversation, making it about her. I have to fight to ignore her--I've tried sitting somewhere else, but she is also friends with another girl who is VERY nice and understanding so I don't want to damage my friendship with the nice girl by physically avoiding the selfish (and somewhat pretentious) one...but she is definitely adding to my overall stress level. Other friends say "just ignore her" but I can't filter out conversations so easily and I don't know how to politely ignore someone.

Yesterday we had a test in one of these classes. Chatty girl had brought some dumb book which made fun of college students' grasps on History and was reading stuff aloud from it before the class started. She could see that I and most of the class were trying to do some last minute cramming. Would. Not. Shut. Up. Oblivious to the glares. I wanted to shout at her, but not sure if my reaction was in normal range or overloaded, oversensitive, close to meltdown range. Tomorrow I'm trying headphones. Right up until the minute class starts and then right after again. Maybe that will help.