Open sea air helps me breathe I feel clear

[LonelyKitten]

Spontaneously booked a hotel near the sea and it's literally so therapeutic. I feel so nice.
When I went to Beachy Head last month, you know, there was such fresh air, I really loved that.

For some reason, I genuinely struggle to physically breathe in Germany.
It's a huge issue for me, you know, if I stay there for extended periods, I stop being able to move for most of the day. I get stuck.
Sleep doesn't help.
Sometimes, like when I get sick (which happens often in Germany), it gets so bad I get to a point where I think I barely manage to breathe enough at all.
Sometimes, even when not sick, it puts me in panic of suffocating.

This is actually something I observed way back as a child - one time, we had a class trip to a village, and the difference in air... Was enormous. I did not want to leave.
So it might not just be trauma-related, there may be physical causes too.

I don't think I'll ever know why this is.
But for now, I am happy at the sea.
This hotel is very comfortable...
I wish I could live in this town, if even just for a while :3

Maybe subtle environmental factors like this, that we can never truly notice until we're met with a sufficiently different environment, can have a significant impact on our mental health without us even knowing?
Do y'all have any experiences like this?
I'd be curious to hear :o

 

[AllCatsAreGrey]

I really appreciate this!

For some context, I recently learned that I'm autistic at 45. I'm really high masking, so it makes sense it took so long to come up.

Anyways, one thing I've recently learned about myself is that I'm actually quite sensitive to things like light and sound. I can put up with it and cover up my discomfort, but after a period of time it impacts me. Before I wasn't as aware what it was that I was responding to. And would just be tense and irritated.

When I first used noise cancelling headphones in public I was completely amazed how relaxed I was. Previously I'd be very tense in my shoulders and chest, but I didn't realize until I provided myself with accomodations.

I'm sorry you have breathing trouble, but I'm very happy you found that sea air helps you.

 

[viljalauss]

good post op

i don't think i've ever had proper difficulty breathing but i have noticed how much nicer the air is where i live compared to london - even here is still sort of a city, but the air feels cleaner and i can see the stars clearer at night. more widely for environmental factors.. it's also quieter here, and i'm a lot closer to wildlife (and cats :3) and bodies of water, which is really nice.

yea something about being close to a body of water in particular is something i've found i really like. lakes, canals, seas.. especially the sea though. you're right, the sea air is perfect. and watching the sea, the tides, the spindrift can be so calming.

Anyways, one thing I've recently learned about myself is that I'm actually quite sensitive to things like light and sound. I can put up with it and cover up my discomfort, but after a period of time it impacts me. Before I wasn't as aware what it was that I was responding to. And would just be tense and irritated.

When I first used noise cancelling headphones in public I was completely amazed how relaxed I was. Previously I'd be very tense in my shoulders and chest, but I didn't realize until I provided myself with accomodations.

this is very true too. i'm also autistic and sensitive to sound, but especially non-music sounds, like people talking. having headphones has honestly made my life so much better, for the comfort and also for being able to listen to music whenever i want and need to. being able to provide yourself with accommodations, as well as knowing which ones you need, can be so helpful

 

[LonelyKitten]

Oh, sensitivity to sounds is a great example!

I've been using headphones to regulate/block sound for, oh my, over a decade at this point.
They're a great accomodation!
It's easier for me to think if I can have some (reasonable, not too much) time in a space without someone else.
Music can be soothing, assist in blocking outside noise, or shift the mood as needed.

Sometimes, I get agitated when there's just too much of a noise swamp from external sources.
It's almost like, it gets too much in your head, you can't think, as if your own thoughts are drowned out.
Or even simpler, sometimes it just feels off, can't name the reason specifically.

Maybe that just comes with being more sensitive to stimuli.
That is common on the spectrum, far as I'm aware.

 

[cgrtt.brns]

i definitely feel this. i recently stayed near a beach in a cottage in the countryside for a few days and my god the difference in how i felt was intense. i live in a suburban area next to a school, railway and airfield so theres always some kind of noise, whether its planes or children screaming or even just cars in the distance, i have to wear headphones all the time just to not feel like im going to explode. also seeing houses everywhere you look, concrete and brick everywhere, its so suffocating and claustrophobic. being in the countryside, i would just sit outside for hours staring at the fields and trees and listening to the birds and the distant sea breeze, i could breathe and didnt have to wear headphones just to hear myself think, i didnt feel claustrophobic at all. i miss it so much. i miss not hearing or seeing other people all the time. i will never understand why people dont think weve overpopulated the planet already. there is just way too many humans. its not sustainable, in the long term and also from an individual perspective, its unhealthy to be so packed together.

 

[NoHorizon]

I'm fortunate enough to live very close to the sea. I'll head to the beach and watch the sunset in your honour tomorrow.