Tips, tricks and practical advice on overcoming sensory issues

[Jellomn]

Hello all!

I've recently found out and come to terms with being on the spectrum. I lived how I lived most of my life up until now, but since going through benzodiazepine withdrawal, my sensory issues have gotten much worse than they ever were. After six months, and after a couple of almost public breakdowns, I started using sunglasses, gloves, and headphones as often as I could whenever I was in public or in places where there were a lot of people present. I also changed the lighting in my room and made it more comfortable for myself. Since then, my quality of life and mental state have been much better, and I've started feeling good in my body again, but I feel like I have a lot more to learn and improve on.

I mostly have issues with bright lights, physical contact, and random loud and unpredictable sounds. I live in a third-world country and have no access to counseling or any professional help, and I'm doing things on a budget as well. So most of the time, I'm figuring this stuff out by myself through trial and error and searching for answers online. I will soon be moving out and living by myself. So, I'm interested in what you generally use to protect yourselves from external stimuli and what you do to make both outdoor and indoor environments more comfortable. Also, I would be extremely grateful if you have any advice to share on overcoming hypersensitivity.

I would also like to ask what types of sunglasses you use, if you use any, and what your experiences are with them. I have had luck with my cheap, lightly tinted yellow UV400 sunglasses. They have made my life a lot easier since I started wearing them both indoors and out. I'm looking into getting a pair with my prescription, but I'm also wondering if there are better solutions: different tints, filters, etc.. or if maybe just having a cheap pair of lightly tinted ones, the simplest solution, is already close enough to the best option.

Thank you in advance for your time and patience. I hope you're having a pleasant day/evening!~

 

[Outdated]

There's no "overcoming" your sensitivities but as you're discovering, you can work around them if you think about it.

I don't have very much over sensitivity in my sight but some frequencies of flashing lights are very disturbing for me. I do however live in a very hot and sunny country and good sunglasses are a necessity here. They don't have to be expensive and they don't have to have a dark tint but they do need to be Polarised. Polarisation cuts the glare without making the world look dark and dingey.

I do have very sensitive hearing and to help with that I have some noise cancelling headphones. I hate wearing them, they're not very comfortable, but having them there for the odd times when I really need them is very helpful.

I think you'll enjoy living by yourself, that makes it a lot easier to set up your home environment the way you like it.

 

[Rodafina]

I haven’t had any luck overcoming hypersensitivity, but like you, feel like my quality of life really improved when I started managing it.

I like orange tinted glasses because of the instant calming effect they have on me. These ones to be exact: Orange Glasses

Also, like you, hats are essential. My favorite hat is a bit too big for my head which is perfect so I can pull it over my eyes. I also really benefit from an eye mask that entirely blocks all light. Of course, it’s not very practical to use outside the house, but it can really help me reset when I am feeling overstimulated.

Noise canceling headphones changed everything especially when playing a white noise app on my phone. I like to listen to the sound of trains on tracks. Youtube has that stuff, too.

Regardless of the temperature, I like to wear clothing that covers all of my skin and has a nice texture to it. Comfortable socks are probably the most important thing to me. My socks have to be just right and I don’t leave the house with socks that I don’t like. I like wearing gloves like this, too as they still allow me to do things and even use my phone: Gloves

One of the most helpful changes that I made was to be more aware of exposure to sensory stimuli. Whenever possible, I try to plan breaks in the day and avoid “sensory onslaught.“ For me, sensory over stimulation seems to have a cumulative effect, so if I notice that I have been particularly exposed to sights, sounds, or smells that are uncomfortable to me, I tried to balance that out with the time in quiet darkness.

Lastly, I have a strong aversion to food smells and this can make it difficult to eat. But, I have found that separating the cooking process from the eating process can be helpful. I cook my food and then just put it away in the refrigerator, to be heated up quickly right before I eat it.

 

[vergil96]

I would also like to ask what types of sunglasses you use, if you use any, and what your experiences are with them.

Sunglasses with polarisation work great. The cut out all the glare without making everything too dark. They work with artificial lighting too. I prefer a lighter tint, I have more of a problem with glare and LEDs.

I find noise-cancelling headphones helpful and different kinds of earplugs too. (Some people like ear defenders better if not sleeping) My favourite earplugs are Loops and Vibes, but I use the cheap foam ones sometimes too.

Tweaking the settings of your devices can help a lot too. With sound and screen settings.

Food. I mostly eat simple bland food and the same things over and over again.

If something stinks I breathe in get away quickly. If the situation requires it, I cover my nose with a tissue or a scarf or whichever fragment of clothing and get away asap too. I'm allergic to scented cosmetics anyway, so I don't use them either way.

Clothes have to be confortable.

I also find it helpful to do some of the shopping online and to avoid shopping malls at all - choose smaller shops that have entry outdoors instead.

Watching films also turned out to make me feel all clogged up and tired. Read a book instead. Or a magazine.

 

[blitzkrieg]

I wear a pair of grey tinted glasses, sort of like sunglasses but with a prescription lens. They are not as dark as typical sunglasses, a bit over half way between clear and dark.

I find that this helps a lot with sensory overload from light sources in general.

I also use natural white lighting when I am in my own space, as opposed to 'yellow' or yellowish lighting.

 

[Paradise]

Hypersensitivities can be very overwhelming, if we think of the five sensors as streams/rivers, we need not be overwhelmed by them, the river guides us pulling us to our greater good, these are heightened intuitions, yes we are naturally aligned to them, after all these are the universal frequencies we see, hear, taste, smell, and feel, we are not separate but connected deeply to the universal laws of nature as a whole, I gave up fighting a long time ago, believing there was something wrong with me, then I realised it was the way I was conditioned, to believe I was different, when in fact I embraced these hypersensitivities, and I stood still and listened to them, that's when I began to feel, instead of thinking, and I have been guided by them ever since in my intuition, so what I am saying is, try to embrace them, because they are a gift not a dilemma.

 

[Judge]

There's no way I'll ditch my sunglasses. Too hard on my eyes no matter what the proximate cause might be. Not to mention I do conscientiously refuse to live in a place that faces entirely east or west given the exaggerated sunlight.

As for my OCD, there are no workarounds. Even CBT didn't take. Bite me.

Oddly enough I live in a populated apartment complex where no one seems to interact with one another- ever. So much for autism. Imagine a "community" of non-social people. But those making very loud, low frequency noises that resonate still drive me nuts. And certain other higher frequencies like leaf blowers, force me to wear my ear protectors...same ones I use at firing ranges.

Noises I can anticipate for some reason are not quite so invasive. Though when they test the outside fire alarms, that's beyond my limit of tolerance. But that's a necessary evil. And the screaming of toddlers at Walmart. Almost a ritual. Ouch. Very hard on my ears and nerves.

 

[Outdated]

And the screaming of toddlers at Walmart.

I got a standing ovation in a supermarket one day.

A lady with a small boy sitting in the front of the shopping trolley entered at the same time I did. The little boy, 3 or 4 years old, was chucking a tantrum. No words or anything, just a constant non stop high pitched squeal, exactly the right frequency to cause me real pain.

I deliberately took a different path to her but we ended up passing each other in every aisle, by the time we got to the third aisle I'd had enough. I have a very big and well trained voice, I bellowed "Lady, if you don't shut that kid up I will!".

The kid shut up instantly. So did everyone else. The whole shop went so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Then someone started clapping and others joined in. The woman grabbed her hand bag and lifted the kid out of the trolley and walked out. When she got out of the aisle and everyone could see who it was all the catcalls and dog whistles started up as well. When I finally got to the checkout the lady behind the counter smiled at me and said "Thank you.".

 

[Judge]

I got a standing ovation in a supermarket one day.

A lady with a small boy sitting in the front of the shopping trolley entered at the same time I did. The little boy, 3 or 4 years old, was chucking a tantrum. No words or anything, just a constant non stop high pitched squeal, exactly the right frequency to cause me real pain.

I deliberately took a different path to her but we ended up passing each other in every aisle, by the time we got to the third aisle I'd had enough. I have a very big and well trained voice, I bellowed "Lady, if you don't shut that kid up I will!".

The kid shut up instantly. So did everyone else. The whole shop went so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Then someone started clapping and others joined in. The woman grabbed her hand bag and lifted the kid out of the trolley and walked out. When she got out of the aisle and everyone could see who it was all the catcalls and dog whistles started up as well. When I finally got to the checkout the lady behind the counter smiled at me and said "Thank you.".

Oddly enough this reminded of a movie I started to watch that I couldn't finish. Even with no volume.

- "The Tin Drum" (1979)

About a toddler that decided he hated the world and chose not to grow up. Who apart from loudly beating his toy drum which never left him, he could and would shriek so loudly that it would break glass.

I suspect a number of us wouldn't have finished this one either.