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I know this is going to be a very weird questions. But have you ever been irritated by the touch of clothes? I sometimes get uncomfortable and want to move my shoulders slightly to relieve it, it's like being too sensitive in a way or too nervous (as perceived by others I guess).

It was not influenced by paleo in any way, so I wonder if there is anything that can be done about it. So, comment if you had it and fixed it. Thank you very much!

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Outside - dressed! In my house? Clothing optional and if clothing is chosen then just a super soft tank top and sarong or just the sarong. Less feels better to me so as soon as I walk in the door - of they come. I was raised kinda naked all the time so its normal to me. Commune style FTW :) – jesuisjuba - paleorepublic.com Sep 22 2011 at 12:32
Yeah we're a nudist bunch at my house too. As little clothing as possible! – vdh1979 Sep 22 2011 at 12:35
Amen. Clothes serve a purpose, particularly for those of us silly enough to continue living in unfriendly climates. Otherwise, clothes suck! – Albert Sep 22 2011 at 13:00
Glad I'm not the only one haha – Priscilla Sep 22 2011 at 14:04
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Expected the author to be Danielle before I clicked. – Travis Culp Sep 22 2011 at 16:29
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8 Answers

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Is this something you've always had or is it a new issue? My son has a form of autism called asperger's syndrome and along with that is something called sensory processing disorder. He's very sensitive to fabrics on his skin and at 15 only wears more than shorts if forced to. He's also sensitive to sound (noisy restaurants, screaming babies etc) bother him more than the average person. As far as fixing the problem, I don't believe there is a fix, you just learn to tolerate these things that annoy you.

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Yes. Also sometimes called sensory integration. – Ambimorph Sep 22 2011 at 18:19
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This. I'm very tactile, and it's suspected that I might be an aspie. I'm extremely sensitive to how my clothes feel, to the point where I have days that I won't even get dressed because being able to feel my underpants sends me into a panic. – Kaz Sep 23 2011 at 4:15
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And, loud sounds freak me out, too; especially chaotic ones. And lots of people clustered around me. Yikes. – Kaz Sep 23 2011 at 4:17
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I have the same thing Kaz but much more minor generally than what you describe and what I see my son deal with. I can usually tolerate things like crowded places or sustained noise for so much time and then I can't handle it anymore and have to get out of that environment. Clothing bothers me sometimes but not often - I do remember as a child wanting to only wear underpants and my mom would just flip out because girls are not supposed to be topless even before breast development lol – HeatherC Sep 23 2011 at 12:48
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Same, HeatherC; I have a tolerance threshold. On a good day, I can handle much more stimulation than on a rubbish day. When I was a kid, I refused to wear pants or shorts (so uncomfortable!), and would run around in my underwear and a long, baggy tee shirt all the time. My mum would freak out, too! XD – Kaz Sep 24 2011 at 4:33
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I usually just walk around my house naked. But tolerate clothing while out or at work.

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Pants are only required for cooking bacon. When the bacon is done, the pants come off! – Dave S. Sep 22 2011 at 19:01
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Sensitive skin, I have it too. If a tag is touching it can drive me to madness. If you can find a super soft T to wear underneath it helps. But the problem is in the skin, could be over dry or just so irritated it feels like pins and needles.

Some relief from aquaphor, an over the counter ointment applied daily.

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Roderick Usher was hyperesthetic. I don't know if that's good company or not. Tactile hypersensitivity might explain the general Paleo aversion to shirts.

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Clothing always needs to be washed prior to wearing the first time because of the chemicals used in manufacture. (My mother-in-law would get a bad reaction just folding shirts in her retail shop.) Hypo-allergenic "clear" detergent can help but also the trick is to cut way back on the amount of detergent used. Unless you get your clothes muddy there's no reason to use as much as the corporations claim you need to get your clothes clean.

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I agree with some of the other comments. Sensory perception disorder. Sensitive to noise, smell, skin sensitivity, taste. A host of things really. My daughter suffers from almost all of those and I from some.

I've seen a difference with the Paleo diet and lifestyle especially. Every thing natural from cleaning products, toothpaste, no over stimulation (no tv, noise, etc)........no artificial fibers, soaps.

For my daughter finally no more constant itching. I never even think about buying her blouses, high collars, I cut all the tags out, No WOOL, Grock forbid polyester.

Cold water for washing hands- a no go. Everything mild!!!

And I don't agree you need to learn to tolerate some things. You need to listen to your body more, respect it and get back to nature.

Why force your body to do what it does not want to do. So you can slide nicely down hill with the rest of the world?

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I notice that my irritation with certain things (hair in my face, stray hairs in my shirt, dirt on the bottom of my bare feet, etc.) gets worse with my levels of anxiety. Going Paleo has definitely helped overall (about an 80% reduction in anxiety levels), but I still get spikes of trouble occasionally.

I find that dealing with this is akin to having any other difficult ongoing issue. It takes constant monitoring and adapting. Mindfulness training has been very helpful to me, both yoga and meditation. Understanding that we can't control everything, including the #$%@damn hairs that fall into my shirt, is key.

I wish you luck!

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I feel the same about laundering your clothing before wearing it. I find that if I launder my clothing, it gets rid of many harsh chemicals that tend to irritate my skin.

Another thing that helps is to use an organic detergent. It's more gentle on you and your clothing than the typical big box brands.

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