u/Orcanius21

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Hello,

There is a lot on my plate right now and I feel so overwhelmed by it.

It is a whole storm of things, issues from family, work(lack of it), school, legal matters(residence permit) finances, health, shitty roommates, and mental health. It has been bad news pretty much one after since March and I can feel how I am reaching a breaking point.

Previously during times like this, I have shut down and gone into a freeze state to stomach fawning over whatever seemed to have control over me in hopes of getting rewarded for "good behavior," like begging to be spared from some impending doom. I feel really ashamed of it, especially because I was rewarded for these behaviors in some ways and let others get hurt in the process.

Now, I really want to move on from these behaviors, it is a struggle, but being present, active, and reliable is so important to me and I feel like I could backslide from all the stress I'm experiencing.

It feels so silly how easy it is to backslide into old habits. Today, I was standing and peeling potatoes to boil. I was getting myself through it despite being in physical pain by making myself angry. Like a sith using anger as fuel or something like this. I don't want to be like Darth Vader 😅

When I realized what I was doing I calmed down pretty fast. I think it is a good example of just how overwhelmed I feel right now.

Maybe there is some advice or tips to be given here? Dealing with overwhelm and self-regulation is a big struggle of mine so I'm pretty in the dark here.

Thanks for your time. :)

Hello,

I have pretty obvious sensory integration issues and what I believe is a combination of hyper&hypo sensory sensitivity.

I'm used to taking the hypersensitivity more seriously since it was what has been more recognized by others but I still feel exhausted and terrible from the lack of proper accomodations.

So, I'm wondering if anyone has some research reccomendations or advice on dealing with combination hyper&hypo sensitivity needs as an adult.

Thanks for your time. :)

Hello, I'm posting in this community even though I don't have an official autism diagnosis although it is pretty generally accepted by me and the people in my life that I am most likely autistic.

One of the reasons I believe I might be autistic and probably the most troublesome reason for it in my life is sensory integration differences.

Especially when it comes to sound and physical orientation.

I believe I experience a combination of hyper and hypo sensitivity to sensory input and so I often struggle to cope with how dysregulating the input makes me feel, physically, mentally, and emotionally.

Most often I shut down completely or have some sort of emotional outburst. Usually when I shut down it is because of a big emotional feeling like panic, anger, or extreme hurt and helplessness which I can't seem to express or move through even though I want to or am asked to.

I have some coping mechanisms which I believe are healthy. When it comes to sound, I listen to "safe" music like Sade or watch something "safe". Right now finding an episode of Mr.Roger's Neighborhood on YouTube is best. For movement or orientation, rocking, darkness, temprature intensity, and deep pressure like hugging a pillow to my chest works best.

However, these tools only help me regulate how I feel in a given environment or moment, and prevent more distress. It doesn't really help me with clarity or expressing how I feel.

Part of why I believe this issue is so hard to live with in my case is because I was intentionally taught by my caretakers to repress how I feel, ignore discomfort, and to avoid things like help or accomodations. It has led to pretty unhealthy and damaging coping mechanisms which I needed for a time but now cause me just as many problems as the actual problem of sensory dysregulation.

Now, I am quickly reaching some kind of burnout and overwhelm where even small differences in my daily life like affection from my partner and having to switch from doing one task to another pushes me closer to my capacity.

How do I manage these struggles as an adult who never experienced treatment for these symptoms I've always had? What do I do when the foundational blocks I need here aren't there and how I do I start to lay them without getting immediately overwhelmed?

Thank you for your time. :)