Anyone do this in crowds?

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Like many of you, I've struggled for decades and I've found some unusual ways to cope. When in large crowds sometimes all those people talking starts to sound like white noise. I can't say why, but I started trying to pick out individual conversations. Sometimes I'll try to follow two conversations, just to see if I can keep the two conversations straight in my head. Sometimes I close my eyes to improve my concentration.

Anyone ever do this? I think for me, it was (is) a way to get out of the crowd without physically leaving.

That's interesting. I guess the hyper focus helps take your mind off the jostling crowd. As for myself, I am completely incapable of following two different dialogues at the same time. I can't even tune one out to focus on the other. All I can hear is garble.

My ears pick out individual conversations whether I want them too or not. Often they are the most inane, ridiculous conversations.

I cannot hold a conversation in a crowded place because its too loud with all the talking going on.

I also hear white noise with a certain number of audio inputs. I'm not sure where it happens . . .it also seems to vascilate. For example, I heard white noise in the doctor's office the other day, but at another time, I could hear the two receptionists having separate conversations on the phone whilst also hearing the three other people in the waiting room. I think the white noise might be an overload response.

Can you REALLY hear two conversations at once? If I hear more than one conversation at once than I can't understand anything anyone said. The situation seems to happen a lot for me in crowded restaurants. For me, I don't know if this is a auditory processing thing or a hearing loss.

Ok, now I'm feeling weirder than usual. Are there really people that can hear two conversations at once and understand what is going on?

Since I can't easily participate when in crowds, I get bored. I think this is a way for me to entertain myself. A game. I focus on one conversation and then try to pick out another conversation. Then I see how long I can juggle them in my head. If you ask me 10 minutes later what they were talking about, I couldn't tell you. I'm not really interested in the conversations. I'm focused on hearing the specific sounds, not on retaining the information.

Sometimes I find myself squeezing one eye shut, without realising, which I hastily open again when I think about what it looks like! Also I spell long words in my head and make connections between a group of numbers. I also clench my fists and I might even hum a little, if it's really noisy. But that's not a habit thing, it's a 'let's try this if it gets really bad' thing. I don't try to keep track of two conversations, no. I'm not sure where I stand on that one, that's a pretty common Q on Aspie tests.

I do this occasionally. Sometimes it helps because it gives me something to focus on. Other times it makes things worse because I get a headache - trying to concentrate with a lot going on is hard. I usually try to think or visualize instead.

I get the white noise in crowds too..it's like a bunch of squirrels jabbering away,totally overwhelming.All I can think about it WHEN CAN I ESCAPE?!

I don't mind crowds so I don't have any little mechanisms or anything like that.
If I do pick out individual conversations in a crowd, it's because I'm being nosey and want to know what they're talking about. It's always fun on the bus when people are talking about some personal drama in their lives in the seats behind me, very entertaining sometimes.

I suspect that this is common for those on the autistic spectrum. I wouldn’t close my eyes but your strategy seems good. I personally focus on the noise I find most familiar or coherent to avoid complete distraction.