Twelve years ago, I was introduced to my sensory issues. The day I realised I had sensory issues is the day I came to face and for the first time, with anxiety, fear and panic. The rest of the time I lived with those, but had no idea.

Sensory issues aren't obvious unless they become obvious, in other words, when an intense sensory stimulus overwhelms your ability to cope with a particular situation. Sensory overload for me was triggered by an accident at birth, when I was born with Cerebral Palsy. Although it was a single traumatic event at birth, it took me decades to know about my disability.

Sensory overload buildup

Sensory overloads continue to build up over time, due to the effort of having to cope with sensory sensitivities in everyday life. It can become a struggle, particularly where issues become disorganised and messages becomes garbled.

Just to recap, sensory signals include everything from the feel or texture of clothing to the intensity of a touch, people with SPD may be under-sensitive, or over-sensitive to stimulation of each of the five senses. I am oversensitive to four of the five senses: smell, touch, hearing and sight.