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The 4th of July

S

Sunnylims

Well-Known Member
I know there are plenty of threads about sensory issues already, but this is just specifically about the sensory/anxiety issues that we may feel around this holiday.

I CAN'T STAND THE 4TH OF JULY!!! It comes so fast every freaking year, and it seems to be getting worse in terms of people lighting off their fireworks all day and night, not just on the 4th, but in the weeks before AND after. I can't even walk outside to my car without the possibility of having a meltdown!

I have been traumatized sooooo many times when I was younger because my parents never "got it" and they kept taking me to 4th of July parties, thinking that I'd just "get over it". Oh god, how that did not happen. It's gotten worse. So I think my immense disdain is partly due to SPD, and partly due to being traumatized.

The anxiety starts around mid June when I start seeing ads for fireworks, and it's all downhill from there. I don't have any friends right now (by choice), but when I did, I hated having to repeatedly try to explain my irrational behavior or make up excuses as to why I couldn't go to their 4th of July parties. It was really hard to try and explain myself when I had no idea why I was reacting the way that I was.

When I am outside and hear a firework, I scream, cry, and run inside, pretty much make a fool of myself. I also get very angry. Especially at the people who blow things up during the freaking day....WHAT IS THE POINT?? YOU CAN'T EVEN SEE ANYTHING?!?!? Sorry, I'm venting. But no one else gets it, or they are tired of hearing it from me. But it's on my mind constantly and it sucks and I hate it and blah.

How does anyone else deal with the stress??? Help me. I envy all the people who can sit outside in their lawn chairs watching fireworks without a care in the world. My self esteem especially plummets when I see children out there enjoying themselves, and I'm hiding in my dark room watching the fireworks through the window while under my blankets.

Help
 
Come to the high desert. They execute folks here for setting off illegal fireworks.

Ok...not quite, but damn near! We have so many red flag warnings here. We have formal, legal fireworks displays, but only downtown. I can watch them on tv and get a great view, and set the volume as I please.

People setting them off locally first and foremost alarm me because of the fire risk. Every summer it's a tinderbox here. And our most devastating fire a few years ago was in December. So fire is always something not to play with here.
 
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I have no issue with the 4th of July. :p

Now, the 1st of July, that's another thing. But for some reason people don't set off fireworks in the city; they wait until they go to their cottage.

However, I'm just down the street from the main fireworks site, so they get to bother me way too often. It wasn't so bad when fireworks were once a year. However, now they do it for Canada Day, Victoria Day, New Year's, Labour Day, Civic Holiday (yes, that's an actual thing here) and every time the baseball team wins a game. And the team is usually good.
 
I wish I had advice on how to handle it but I've always had problems with the 4th of July and fireworks too. Back when I was a kid I remember that I never wanted to go to fireworks displays because they were too loud and I hated it. I still have those problems today. There are always people in our neighborhood that set them off, and I hate it. The ones they set off though are not the small, simple ones that you can buy at fireworks stands here in Vegas itself. They are more dangerous ones that you need to go outside the county to get, like the ones that you shoot up and go off higher up in the air.

Similarly to where Judge says he lives, we have problems here in Las Vegas with wildfires, and we are very dry right now, so people really should not be setting off fireworks. We had a huge wildfire in the Spring Mountains just here outside Vegas last summer which almost destroyed many homes and destroyed lots of forest land.
 
Treat yourself to a vacation day, book into a hotel in the middle of nowhere, hole up in your room, soak in the bathtub all evening with ear defenders on or chill out in bed listening to music.
 
bentHnau said:
Treat yourself to a vacation day, book into a hotel in the middle of nowhere, hole up in your room, soak in the bathtub all evening with ear defenders on or chill out in bed listening to music.
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This is ideal.....in writing. Haha, but in all actuality, I can barely keep the gas tank in my car above the empty line, much less afford a vacation. Also, I have found that the "middle of nowhere" usually has the loudest fireworks. I'm going to just "hibernate" in my apartment for the 3rd and 4th (aside from work), it might be okay since people can't light off fireworks in the apartment parking lot. I just plan to smoke a hefty amount of marijuana, wrap myself in blankets, and watch scary movies. Should be kind of fun, actually :)
 
alexa roper said:
I just plan to smoke a hefty amount of marijuana, wrap myself in blankets, and watch scary movies. Should be kind of fun, actually :)
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Yeah, I'd think that should definitely take the edge off the concussion of unwanted explosions. :p
 
While I'm a patriot and everything, Fourth of July tends to be the day where I sit and wonder, "Maybe it would have been better if we'd stayed with the British?" :)

Kidding aside, I don't have any plans. I'll probably just take my dog out for a hike--it's been far too long--and hang out at home or something. If my friends are still around I might or might not join them in festivities. Wish I had marijuana on hand, or I'd do just what alexa roper is doing. :)
 
All kidding aside, I can handle loud noises when I KNOW they are coming. Especially the crash of thunder. I can mentally prepare to some extent. It's the ear-splitting screams of children in large stores and a neighbor's uninvited subwoofer that really get to me. Those high-highs and low-lows on the hertz range.

But I really don't want to hear any fireworks nearby. I'm right on the edge of raw desert where the sagebrush can ignite in a second. Too scary to want to think about if the wind comes up. The official local fireworks downtown are nice....far away and can be seen on live television.
 
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I would like to know what I can do to help my six year old son with his sensory issues during this holiday... I can fully look forward to him screaming all night, which sets MY sensory issues off more than the fireworks do...
 
You're not alone in your disdain for the 4th of July. I hate it, too, because of the incredibly stressful noise of fireworks. I was in a group recently in which each of us was supposed to introduce ourselves and say what was our favorite thing about the 4th of July. When it was my turn, all I could think of to say was, "It's just one day." But, as you pointed out, that doesn't keep people from setting off fireworks in the days before and after the holiday. After all, they've wasted all this money on the stuff and feel compelled to set them off whenever the mood strikes.

It is almost impossible to escape them unless you have the ability to retreat into the woods for a few days. Some communities in the States prohibit them because of the potential for fires. But those are rare instances. In my home city, there is greater concern for how fireworks impact pets than how they impact people. Ear plugs are of course one option for those of us on the spectrum. I will also just get into bed and put a pillow against my ear.
 
rollerskate said:
I would like to know what I can do to help my six year old son with his sensory issues during this holiday... I can fully look forward to him screaming all night, which sets MY sensory issues off more than the fireworks do...
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I obviously still struggle with ways to cope, but I have learned a few things in my years avoiding this day. Had my parents known about my sensory issue, I'm sure I wouldn't have turned out so traumatized, so you're already a step ahead of most oblivious parents! The thing that helped me the most when I was younger was having dogs or other animals around, because they likely were experiencing very similar sensory issues, so we could comfort each other. Other than that, pretty much the main thing is to just distract him with music from headphones or a movie in a dark basement with the air conditioning turned up and a bunch of blankets. And I'm not a parent, nor am I suggesting that anyone drug their children, but maybe a small dose a benadryl would help? Pshh I have no idea, that's just what I've heard people have done for their dogs. I would definitely consult a doctor or someone with actual knowledge before doing that :)
 
If you're in the US and you've got pets, keep an eye on them. They can get freaked out by the noises just like some of us.

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And for everyone, have a happy fourth!
 
How true. Fireworks always terrified our Yorkies. They'd seek refuge under a bed and usually wouldn't come out for hours.
 
Judge said:
How true. Fireworks always terrified our Yorkies. They'd seek refuge under a bed and usually wouldn't come out for hours.
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My kittens (indoor only) experienced their first-ever thunderstorm last night ... it was kinda cute to watch. They alternated between zipping around the house and diving for cover. Hehehe
 
Have you tried ear plugs? I hate when people go into my bedroom when I am sleeping, even if they're really quiet I still sense them and I wake up like a vampire with my eyes wide open. It really scares me and it drains my energy, sometimes I get meltdowns just from people waking me up so now I wear ear plugs and I sleep a lot better.

I actually like the 4th of july because it's my birthday and I'm glad that I don't have to deal with all the fireworks and crowds of people on that day but here in Spain they have something called Fallas which is all about fireworks, burning paper mache figures, people filling the underground and having to squeeze between people for two miles just to see a firewok show. The last time I went there with friiends I almost fainted from the sensory overload that I got. Plus they throw this firework into crowds of people that goes all over the place and then exploads.

I usually get sensory overload from movement (maybe it's because I take a lot of information in with my peripheral vision) and noise.
 
I woke with a headache and the neighbors were shooting and popping off fireworks but yet again I woke up in the afternoon :/
 
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