A smell can hit with such force that it becomes hard to stay in the space. Perfume, hot food or cleaning products may fill the whole moment, with nausea or a headache arriving close behind.
- stepping into a lift after someone wearing strong perfume
- getting a headache in a room that has just been cleaned
- moving away from a table when several food smells mix together
- opening a scented product and needing to close it again straight away
Looks vs reality
The same Experience can look very different from the outside than it feels on the inside.
"It's just a scented candle, it smells nice!"
That 'nice' smell feels like a sharp, stabbing noise inside my skull. I'm trying not to physically flinch.
"Why are you making that face? You seem annoyed."
I'm not annoyed, I'm holding back a wave of nausea and a migraine that just crashed the party in my head.
"You're being a little dramatic, aren't you?"
My entire nervous system just went into red alert. I'm fighting a genuine fight-or-flight response over a smell.
"You suddenly got so quiet and distant."
All my processing power has been rerouted to 'Survive The Smell.' There's literally no energy left for conversation.
"Just ignore it, it's not that strong."
Telling me to 'ignore it' is like telling someone to ignore a fire alarm blaring right next to their ear. It's impossible.
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