Sensory stimulation in Daily Life

Many of us who are neurodivergent have our own special way of experiencing the world around us. Some of us are all about seeking out sensory input, others try to avoid it, and some of us do a bit of both depending on the moment.

Take me, for instance—I'm super sensitive to sounds, and little repetitive noises can really get on my nerves. But I can totally blast a Bach concerto on Alexa without a problem. Also, I'm not a fan of light touches, clothing tags, or even clothes themselves, but I love the feeling of deep pressure and appreciate deep massage. My neighbors upstairs are always parking their flashy sports cars right outside my living room window. When they rev them up, the whole wall shakes, and I just want to crawl under a rock to get away from it.

This can make daily life challenging. I avoid going shopping because of the bright lights and sounds, (thank goodness for Wal-Mart delivery)

We just had the NODCC conference in Atlanta, which happens every two years. I was

really pumped to attend since it was my first time. I enjoyed checking out the different sessions, but when all 400 of us were packed into one room and everyone was chatting away, I couldn't concentrate on what anyone was saying to me. The end result was my going to my hotel room to get quiet, decompress and meditate. I had to have a hard reset for me to go back out and deal with the stimulation.

I've heard about companies and theaters having 'sensory friendly' times, and I think that's a great way to accommodate people like me and neurodivergent kids.

I wear hearing aids, and it's completely normal for me to turn them down or even off in loud and busy places. Other folks can't do that, so they might use noise-cancelling headphones or earplugs when they're out. I'm also super sensitive to bright lights, so my glasses automatically darken when I'm outside or in bright light. Fluorescent light bulbs are a nightmare for me—not only do they give me a headache just looking at them, but they also have this awful buzzing sound when they're on. When I moved into my

apartment, I had to swap out all the CFL bulbs for LEDs.

And then there are those intense smells. I'll be hanging out in Starbucks, and the lady from the nail salon next door comes in, trailing a perfume cloud that's so strong you can smell it from a mile away. I've actually had to leave the place just to get away from it. I'm sensitive to smells at home too, but weirdly, I do like Japanese incense. Go figure.

These aren't quirks, none of them are quirks, but sensory overload can be seriously painful. I get that others might not understand it right then, and that’s super frustrating.

On that note, it's time for me to get away from the computer screen and rest my eyes.

Thanks for listening.