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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 7 of 7. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by janejj on January 3, 2002, at 0:35:33
Hey,
Does anyone here ever feel completely overwhelmed when they enter a shopping mall or the foyer of a cinema ? Sometimes I just feel so overwhelmed by the lights, the noise and all the activity. Is this normal ?
Jane
Posted by IsoM on January 3, 2002, at 2:08:39
In reply to Senses overwhelmed, posted by janejj on January 3, 2002, at 0:35:33
Even when I feel good, Jane, I find it often just too much. Everything's designed to grab your attention to make you want to buy. It's like visual shouting to me - too 'noisy' for my eyes. Even grocery shopping can leave me feeling mentally tired. So many images, colours, & words in different shapes & sizes. And if I'm not careful, I pick up the wrong product as the packaging has once again been changed. And most shopping centres or large stores have music or other sounds all blaring away.
I won't even go to see a movie in a cinema. Too many people jam-packed in a dark room with a huge screen & noise level way too high. If I'm interested, I wait till the video comes out.
I prefer quiet pleasures, not an all-out assault on the senses.
> Hey,
>
> Does anyone here ever feel completely overwhelmed when they enter a shopping mall or the foyer of a cinema ? Sometimes I just feel so overwhelmed by the lights, the noise and all the activity. Is this normal ?
>
> Jane
Posted by Dinah on January 3, 2002, at 9:04:24
In reply to Senses overwhelmed, posted by janejj on January 3, 2002, at 0:35:33
It happens to me all the time, although I have learned various ways to blank out a bit so that it is not so uncomfortable. I still shop by catalog when possible, rent movies (except when I go to kid's movies for my son's sake), and even eat fast food in the quiet bubble of my car.
Have you read "The Highly Sensitive Person" by Elaine Aronson (I'm not sure about the author). I believe she gives some tips about this sort of things. Much better ideas than the slightly disfunctional ones I use.
Posted by sid on January 3, 2002, at 9:31:35
In reply to Senses overwhelmed, posted by janejj on January 3, 2002, at 0:35:33
My mother did feel like that when her BP rose and she needed to change her BP medication. We went to a mall one day and we had to leave because she felt overwhelmed by noise, bright colors and noise. Have you had your BP checked recently?
> Hey,
>
> Does anyone here ever feel completely overwhelmed when they enter a shopping mall or the foyer of a cinema ? Sometimes I just feel so overwhelmed by the lights, the noise and all the activity. Is this normal ?
>
> Jane
Posted by mair on January 3, 2002, at 12:59:40
In reply to Re: Senses overwhelmed » janejj, posted by sid on January 3, 2002, at 9:31:35
For me it's not so much lights as it is numbers of people, and difficulty finding what you need. I have a horrible time in stores like Wal-Mart or K-Mart or very large grocery stores where I feel like I endlessly walk aisles without accomplishing anything. I also have trouble in smaller stores that are very crowded and frequently in any store with piped in music. After a time I feel like I need to scream
Mair
Posted by IsoM on January 3, 2002, at 14:47:34
In reply to Re: Senses overwhelmed » janejj, posted by Dinah on January 3, 2002, at 9:04:24
I guess I'm a stubborn, opinionated person at times. I DON'T want to change my reactions to all the noises, lights, & crowds. I feel what modern society thrusts in our faces to be *so* unnatural. I don't want to get used to it!
I saw a science program that showed babies' reactions to a simple mobile dangled above them. It only had three shapes (triangle, circle & square) in three colours. The babies cooed & waved their arms & legs at it, obviously delighted. Then the mobiles became increasingly more complex, more shapes, patterns, colours, & more dangling objects. The babies also reactived positively to them. BUT when the original mobile was dangled in front of them, they no longer reacted. They were bored & looked away, some cried. They craved LOTS of stimulation & a simple mobile didn't make them happy any more.I don't want to get like that. I find many young people *need* fast-paced, flashing games, movies, dance clubs, etc to enjoy themselves. It's getting so people just aren't happy with the simple beautiful joys that God meant us to enjoy.
Sometimes at work, when I've gone outside, I'll just watch the little house sparrows that have made nests in the steel beams above the store entrance. I love watching their little interactions with each other & read an article on sparrows about their little head markings that distinguish a higher-ranking male sparrow from another lower-ranking one. I find them fascinating. When someone asks me what I'm watching, I show them. Many just look at me strange, but there's enough people who stop to watch too.
It's the little things that I don't want to feel jaded towards that makes me refuse to become part of the rest of the great consumer society & be part of the buy, buy, BUY consumer. (I probably sound like a bit of a fanatic - maybe I am, but I prefer it like this.)
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> It happens to me all the time, although I have learned various ways to blank out a bit so that it is not so uncomfortable. I still shop by catalog when possible, rent movies (except when I go to kid's movies for my son's sake), and even eat fast food in the quiet bubble of my car.
> Have you read "The Highly Sensitive Person" by Elaine Aronson (I'm not sure about the author). I believe she gives some tips about this sort of things. Much better ideas than the slightly disfunctional ones I use.
Posted by Noa on January 8, 2002, at 18:48:42
In reply to Senses overwhelmed, posted by janejj on January 3, 2002, at 0:35:33
Yes.
I do get the anxiety symptoms--physical and emotional--in crowded places, overstimulating places, etc. I used to have it much worse, but overtime, I have come to accept that I don't like crowds or places that put me on sensory overload. I have learned to respect that and to plan accordingly when possible. I don't go to rock concerts even when tempted (like upcoming BJ/EJ tour). Or 4th of July fireworks. I opt out when friends invite me, or I might go to some things if a modified plan is possible--if I think I could enjoy it for a short amount of time, for instance, I might drive separately so I can control that, etc.
I have learned to manage malls, etc. for a certain amount of time, as long as I'm able to monitor whether my mood is right for dealing with a mall. I also have learned to guage when I've had enough--am I tired, hungry, hot, overstimulated, etc. etc. Well, most of the time I can do that. Sometimes I miss my cues. It helps if I am as unencumbered as possible--leave my coat in the car, don't carry much on me, wear comfortable shoes, etc.
When a mall or store is unfamiliar to me, if it is very overstimulating, I can become a bit disoriented and dazed by it all. Recently I was shopping with a friend who is very comfortable shopping--she can orient herself in any unfamiliar store anywhere anytime--and we were in a very overstimulating store in a very overstimulating mall. I let her lead the way, and we did have a plan for only going to certain stores where she and I needed to look at things (ie, not cruising the whole gigantic mall). In this particular store, I got that dazed and confused look on my face. We were looking at some things I was considering buying, but I just couldn't focus or engage in the process of deciding--I kind of zoned out--not entirely, but partially. I think it was a bit of derealization--feeling somewhat removed. I know it was the coping strategy my mind needed to deal with the overstimulation. My friend said it was pretty striking how zoned I was compared to my usual way of being. I decided to not make a decision at that time because of the overstimulation and feeling zoned, and we moved on and out quicker, although I was able to tolerate being there while she got her stuff, which didn't take long. Now that I know what that mall and store are like, I probably won't go there much, and if I do, it will probably be a more limited, targeted shopping trip.
I can handle movie theatres, but wouldn't say I am comfortable in most--in the coming and going part--once seated I'm fine. Some that are known to me to be too hot, too crowded, too overstimulating--I don't go to those.
I tend to find noises louder than other people do. Sometimes at the movies, it hurts my ears. This was especially so when I was very depressed---I would plug my ears with tissues and it would still seem too loud! But even when not depressed, I find loud noises irritating, where other people seem not to mind. Same with lots of color and lights, etc.
This is the end of the thread.
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