Trouble grocery/christmas shopping? Anyone else?

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AndrewIrish

AndrewIrish

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Hey, I'm a busy beaver during the holidays, it seems. After a long absence, it feels like I'm just all over these boards, lol. I apologize, again.

Just another curiosity.

Does anyone else have truoble grocery shopping?

I find I can't do it anymore. I don't know what it is exactly, yet when I'm in aisles, looking for something particular, my eyes scan all over the products and colors... and it's, I don't know... almost claustropbic for me, overwhelming. Almost like the aisles are suddenly huge and looming towards me, I almost get... I don't know scared for a moment, or something, I... I don't really know how to explain it except to say that when I'm in an aisle, I get that hunkered down, 'something is wrong' feeling... usually I start myoclonic jerking pretty hard and have to split. I've found that in certain circumstances, when I'm jerking that much, it's almost a warning signal for me to just... stop, stop what I'm doing, breathe and just empty my mind and calm down.

Just wanted to know if anyone else has experienced this while shopping, especially during the christmas season?

What exactly is that feeling I get - overwhelmed, almost claustrophobic(I'm not, this grocery thing started recently for me...)

I've heard of auras, other things... I dunno. Due to the jerking, I know it's linked to the E, not sure what that 'feeling' is though.
 
Sounds like an anxiety attack. Perhaps you need to start the breathing a bit earlier in the episode. I don't think you are alone with this feeling, just not sure if there are others here at CWE. I am sure they will chime in after the holiday though.

I don't have any experience with this, but I am sure it would not make this season very enjoyable that is for sure.
 
Do you find certain stores worse than others? I think some people react to the lighting that certain stores use. I know kids in the autistic community tend to be more sensitive to fluroescent lighting.

I bumped into a friend at a local Wal-Mart a few days ago. You could tell she was feeling uncomfortable. She said her head always hurts (and her eyes were visibaly red) when she shops at this store. She told me her brother is an electrician and he informed her that the lighting they use at this particular store is "outlawed" from being used at schools because it makes children hyper, have headaches or they feel ill.

When I am feeling overwhelmed I have a hard time focusing on the details of a situation. I do not have E (my son does).

I wonder if the lighting is the problem. :ponder:

Best of wishes to you!
 
I've been

doing this thing lately where I go in with a specific list and go in just for those things. I look ONLY at the aisles I'm headed for, and I don't look too much farther ahead. It's not my usual thing to do, and I have no idea why I've been doing it lately, but I have.......I don't feel like I'm ight-headed or dizzy, I just don't know how to explain it...
 
I've totally changed my shopping habits. Idon't even go in those "Big" stores anymore. However, I needed to go to one at Christmas. I made it the last on my list. I was doing well until then. By the time I got out of there, I was stumbling and losing my balance. NO MORE BIG STORES FOR ME!!!!! :pfft: I'll shop local small stores like I have been.
 
I don't have E, but I find the big stores overhwelming too. Too many objects, lights, colours, sounds and, above all, people. I sometimes get dizzy, anxious and irritable and feel like I need to just get out of there. The holidays are the worst time for this, and I'm a total crank when I get home from shopping during that time. Needless to say, I have never gone shopping on boxing day, and I never will :lol:
 
Ummmm, just

what is Boxing Day??? Sorry if I sound stupid...I've not heard of it before...
 
I thought the US would be all over the boxing day concept. It's the day after Christmas, when all the stores have extraordinary sales.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boxing_Day

People will line up at 6a.m. (and earlier) so they can be the first to get into the stores and buy whatever it is they want at a cheap, cheap price. I just can't get into that.
 
Yes I get that overwhelmed feeling often have for a few years and only realized after my diagnoses it was E related. Sadly I just give up and go home and make my husband figure out what we need. I suffered from claustrophobia as a child but have out grown that symptom thank goodness. Some grocery things that help are first I don't go on Sundays when its crowded that really sets me off and a use my MP3 player with happy music so I can ignore the people who irritate me. Its a big stress reducer.
 
Occb

I guess we do have that, but we don't really have a name for it, or at least I've never heard of it before. I've just always heard of it as The Day After Christmas Sale.......LOLOL :roflmao::roflmao::roflmao:
 
Meetz1064 said:
I guess we do have that, but we don't really have a name for it, or at least I've never heard of it before. I've just always heard of it as The Day After Christmas Sale.......LOLOL :roflmao::roflmao::roflmao:
Click to expand...

:roflmao:
 
Yes! I've had it for years, I don't know what causes it but I have a few stratergies to deal with it which is mostly limiting how much stimulation I get and my time in there.

I take my ipod, I wear sunglasses which for some reason seems to help, I make a shopping list and go right to the isles I need to, I go when the ques aren't long and I go in a few short trips instead of one long one. For me it's over stimulation.
 
Grocery stores tend to give me seizures. In fact, I had one this evening after a month of being seizure free. Huge bummer. It wasn't always this way, but in the past few years, I've become incredibly sensitive to these types of lighting.
 
appsandsuch said:
Grocery stores tend to give me seizures. In fact, I had one this evening after a month of being seizure free. Huge bummer. It wasn't always this way, but in the past few years, I've become incredibly sensitive to these types of lighting.
Click to expand...

There was one grocery store near where I used to live that would trigger a seizure if I hadn't had one already that day.
 
Sometimes I get an anxious feeling, I have held on to stuff, feels like I'm going to float away.
I had to brace myself, finally I just leave the store, go home.

Billy.
 
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