Noise Overload

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I wanted to see how others are with sound sensitivity issues.

Multiple conversations are challenging but some background noises are ok

I've gone for option three. I'm ok until four or more people all try talking at once or shouting over each other, then it's painful and I need to get away quickly. I'm quite happy with some loud noises though - football crowds, rock bands, these I've grown up with. Recently my wife was listening to a radio play on her iPad. She was sitting next to me and I could hear it all clearly. It was fine until a scene where two of the characters were chatting in a pub, with a loud 'hubbub' of background chatter. It was way too much and I was off.

Multiple conversations are challenging but extra sound (like background music) is still ok. But it depends on the sounds. Some background sounds really interfere with the human voice with me.

And, it depends on how much people talk over each other. i've been in situations where 3 or 4 people do not interrupt and take turns. That's ok too.

But, meals with most family types and lotsa people all talking over each other is a nightmare.

I can have the TV on and be listening to music most of the time but anything more than that usually puts me on overload.

As I already struggle to comprehend conversations on a daily basis, extra sound just makes it way worse, so I went with the third choice.

Sounds don't bother me.

Unless if I'm listening, I cannot filter it out, and I mishear words. Involving spoken words then hearing it wrong is the ONLY thing that bothers me.
Regardless, I never had a case sensory overload for nearly 5 years now, no matter how chaotic or loud a noise could get.

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I can't say it's a big problem most of the time but sometimes in busy coffee shops/pubs/streets the chatter merges into one and amplifies like a resonance. When that happens my head hurts and i get uncontrolablly irritated and have to leave quick.

I chose the "multiple conversations" option, but it does really depend. I was visiting a person's home for work the other month, and sat in front of a bird cage. I felt physically ill when the birds fought, making a lot of disorganized noise while people spoke and the TV was on quietly. Once the birds stopped I was okay.

I think one noise at a time doesn't always work, because it can be a horrible noise. Organization to whatever noises I'm hearing seems to be the key to not feeling overwhelmed.

I have to turn off whatever music I am listening to (like the car radio or music on my computer) when someone talks to me even if the music is quiet or else it will be very hard and sometimes nearly impossible for me to understand what they are saying.

I think my username sums up my position.

I noticed on your poll 'have you considered stabbing yourself in the ears to produce complete deafness' wasn't an option.

One sound source at a time please! I have to wear headphones blasting white noise, music or documentaries 90% of the time, I become a very cautious and fragile creature when assaulted by what others deem acceptable audio intrusions, it depends how my thoughts are at any given period or how much other sensory stuff I've put up with or been exposed to but noise is definitely a mountainous terrain for me to endure.

If I didn't wear headphones (wrapped with a scarf cause the stupid things snapped lol) so much I'd have gone loopy from noise piling on top of me, I used to have terrible meltdowns and never understand why noises put so many dents in my brain. I don't mind sounds if they are spaced out and easy to process and file away but I like to deal with them one at a time, some sounds do mesh nicely but that's mostly when by a river or out in the countryside or in a quiet place like being nestled in a serene library hush!

I'm very sensitive to sounds, images, smells, and touch, and so they can easily overload me. I have thought about about being less sensitive, but I do not wish for that beause I think this high sensitivity is very important in my art creation and production. Indeed, be careful what you wish for. Definitely, I do not what to be like those NTs or normal people who don't have any higher feelings.

What someone says to me might sound completely different or jumbled, even with my full attention and a quiet environment. This causes confusion for me often.

Additional sounds are a bit of a nightmare for me, especially loud music, my brain cannot separate from the higher volume to concentrate on a conversation, i have noticed most people are able to separate these sounds and was always a mystery to me as to why i couldn't, i have to move away from the main source for my brain to be able to take input of individual in.. An example is being in a pub with music ( rarely go to those places now) and i will have someone trying to talk to me, and i shrug my shoulders and say sorry i cant hear, so they will be close to my ear and talking loudly, however my brain is still focused on said music and for most would be able to hear that person but for me i still cant... However i sometimes get this in normal conversation also without any other external distraction, its a bit weird, but its like i am hearing everything they are saying but my brain just isnt registering, and by the fifth time i have asked them to repeat, suddenly as they are mid paragraph, my brain decides to register what had been repeated earlier!... I used to get in a lot of misunderstandings with this, especially in louder places, as i would just smile and nod my head, as people seem to get frustrated if they have to repeat themselves more than twice, so i would just smile and nod, to find out im nodding to something i shouldn't, seems this is another area gross misunderstandings can take place
Also when at school, i was never one that could have headphones on and do homework at the same time.. Again one sound source at a time for me...
I have also noticed when i get brain delays it seems to come from people with similar vocal frequencies, so wandering if variants in sound frequency can also effect brain input?