I hear ya voicetek. Whenever I can get away with little to no clothes I do. Blankets are a must for sleeping and getting to sleep, yeah, give me an hour and hopefully my back won't start hurting. I drink coffee to help me sleep. The stronger and sweeter the brew the better.

I think the esteem issues, in part at least, come from feeling that there's something 'wrong' with you. Over reactive and things like that. People tend to put down anyone different and as a child of the eighties I get where you are. So much advancement in so little time and we're just trying to get across the playground without exploding. Our fight or flight instincts are trying to do both at the same time.

When I was in junior high my parents enrolled me in karate. I wish I could have pursued it but that was not to be. One of the things our sensei would tell us during standing exercises is that when we feel an itch to tell ourselves that there is no itch. It helps for a little while until we can actually tend to the itch. I remember that when things start to get overwhelming. There is no itch, noise, smell or whatever. It doesn't make the thing that's bothering me go away but it does change my focus so I can tune it out for just a little while.

When I feel the weight of the crowds closing in on me I do what I can to get away for just a few moments. Learning the beginning signs of the stress help a to address it before it becomes too much of a problem. As for sudden noises, I tend to let out a low growl sometimes. Just my way of a quick and harmless reaction to something that harmlessly attacks me.