u/Fantastic_Sand_8044

I have hyperosmia, which is basically an intensely strong sense of smell. I smell the tiniest, littlest things no one else around me seems to be able to, and it lingers in my nose. I can taste smells. They can even make me sick. I smell *everything*.

I've always had this. I have incredibly strong senses in general, I'm a highly sensitive person. However, it was never as much of an issue up until certain events took place in my life.

I don't want to go into detail about that, and honestly, those details aren't really important here anyways.

I became deeply aware of smells after that. Where they are, what they are, how they can get on me, and that if they do get on me, my clothes, my skin, my hair etc, they will get in my car, my furniture, my home, and basically infiltrate my life.

At least that's how my brain has started seeing it. And now I can't unsee it.

Having smells on me I don't want there is incredibly uncomfortable because I smell them constantly. I can't be unaware of them. I mean, the being able to smell so much isn't new, and it was never an issue before. Now it is, though.

Looking back, I was always uncomfortable because of smells all around me all the time. I just sort of tried to ignore it. I'm not sure how I did that.

Now, I can't not see the routes smells take. Random public space -> my clothes, maybe my hair -> my car -> my furniture. Then when I wear something else, it spreads from the furniture to those clothes, right? And my hair, I can't wash it every time I go out. So I lie on my pillow, now it's in my bed. Maybe the smell doesn't even get out of the clothes, which happens. Then it spreads to my other clothes and from there, my entire wardrobe.

This is just an example. It's like a never ending loop of smells. It's gotten to a point where I avoid almost everything. I don't go out anymore because of smells. I don't do the things I want to do because of smells. I don't do the things I *need* to do because of smells.

I want to just say screw it and jump into the car and go do whatever I want and never look back. But that's terrifying.

Am I just supposed to go through life scared and uncomfortable because of smells? Maybe that's the only way for me to live. Deep discomfort in exchange for a life. Maybe it gets easier eventually?

I've been to professionals, it has not been helpful whatsoever, unfortunately. And they're not exactly affordable either.

So I figured I'd share my experience here and see if anyone had any advice. Any advice is welcome, just be kind please <3

I have an immensely strong sense of smell. I smell things no one else around me seems to be able to and they linger in my nose so strongly to the point of being able to taste them. They can also make me very, very sick.

Because I'm so sensitive to smells, I've also become hyper aware of them at all times.

I'm also always aware of the routes they may take. For example, I touch something in public, say I sit down somewhere at a café, and whatever smell was on that chair is now on my clothes. I go home. Now it's on my furniture. Say someone smoked. It's in my hair and skin now. I can smell it all just being there, and it's incredibly uncomfortable.

I can't go out anymore because of all kinds of smells being everywhere and getting on me and into my clothes, my home and my life and the discomfort it causes.

Smells will always be there, I know this. I just don't know how to not be this aware of them all the time, or how to cope with them being there.

I figured I'd ask here, because perhaps people in similar situations have developed ways to cope with this.

Any advice is welcome. Please be kind though.

I have the most sensitive nose, I smell every little thing to the point of tasting it. It lingers. It's just icky and it makes me sick, I get migraines from it too.

I just do not for the life of me understand how people just live normally? I can't even go out properly atp.

Granted I have several other health issues like chronic illnesses to deal with that contribute to that specific struggle, but I was just wondering if anyone else is also this deeply affected by their sensitivity to smell, to the point of disrupting daily life.