Welcome to the Sensory Jungle

You walk into a grocery store and suddenly want to crawl out of your skin.

Fluorescent lights buzzing. Overlapping conversations. Someone's perfume. Cart wheels squeaking.

And everyone else just... shops?

"Imagine every sense turned up to 11—all the time. Now imagine everyone telling you it's not that loud, not that bright, not that bad." — Autistic adult

The Eight Senses

You have more than five:

Sense	When It's Different
Vision	Lights too bright, patterns overwhelming
Hearing	Can't filter background noise
Touch	Tags feel like sandpaper
Smell	Perfume = migraine
Taste	Textures feel wrong
Vestibular	Dizzy easily OR need constant movement
Proprioception	Need deep pressure to feel "right"
Interoception	Can't tell if hungry or in pain

Two Directions, One Person

You can be BOTH hypersensitive AND hyposensitive—in different senses.

Most autistic people have a mix. Example: Needs quiet (sound hypersensitive) but craves weighted blankets (pressure hyposensitive).

Why Can't You "Just Get Used To It"?

Neurotypical brains learn to ignore repeated stimuli. Your brain doesn't filter like that. Every tick is still new.

You're not being dramatic. Your brain literally doesn't filter it out.

Know Your Profile

Which senses are turned up? Which need more input? Understanding YOUR pattern helps you predict hard environments.

See Sensory Overload for when it becomes too much.