I'm so glad to see you talk about this! Most people think this issue of mine is weird--except for my mom, who also deals with it.

The bonus, of course, is that the more stressed out I am already, the more difficult it is to deal with additional stimuli, and the more overloaded I get.

I'm always turning down the music my partner or stepdaughter plays in the car because when it's loud (or as loud as they'd normally play it) it feels in my body the same as that nails on a chalkboard feeling. Which is also the feeling I get touching particular damp towels--weird, I know.

When there's a scene in a TV show or movie that I find stressful, I always either cover my ears or my eyes so that I can cut out one of the sensory inputs to make it manageable.

And now that I think about it--no wonder I was always so cranky at my old job where the noise from the pool deck was always infiltrating our office...