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Sensory overload. Unless you’re autistic or have some other neurological condition that causes it for you, you have no clue what it feels like. You may think you do, but it’s doubtful.
I’m not saying this to put you down, it’s just that sensory overload takes over our whole body and does something to us. For me I get dizzy, irritable, lose track of where I am, I can’t always figure out what’s going on around me and as much as I want to sprint out of there, often times I’m frozen and can’t move. In that type of situation, Tye, my autism service dog, is trained to pull/drag me away from the situation and towards the parking lot.
For those who don’t understand what sensory overload is, it’s exactly what it sounds like. As Aspies (those with Asperger’s syndrome) or other high-functioning autistics, our senses are like Spider-Man—on high alert. Not necessarily all of them, it may only be one or two, but even one can be enough to start a meltdown.
FYI, a meltdown is NOT a tantrum.
People get confused and see an autistic child having a meltdown and think it’s a tantrum. A tantrum is a child putting on a show for someone because they want something. With a meltdown, the person is reacting to something that’s making them uncomfortable or scared. It may be that the lights in a store are too bright or that their routine got changed. Resolve the situation and the meltdown goes away. Maybe not at that exact moment but like the Hulk turning back into Bruce Banner, it will happen.
We’re very routine-oriented people, so whenever possible, respect that and let us be our quirky selves and do things in the order we’re most comfortable.
The more common triggers for sensory overload are lights being too bright, the sound is too loud, too many people and too much action going on in a contained area or even something as simple as the smell of something. Olfactory sensory overload is a very real thing.
There’s a particular spice blend that I like to eat and that my daughter loves. I won’t name the spice as I love the taste of it on my food, but I can’t cook with it and when she does, I leave the room or even go outside. By the time the food is cooked. The smell has died down and I’m OK, but not early on.
The last trigger is one most people don’t think of: touch as in the person can only wear certain fabrics because they don’t like the feel of other fabrics on their skin. It’s not just that they don’t like it. It can make their skin crawl and make them need to get that piece of clothing off their body.
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So, how do you avoid getting stuck in some looping time warp where you feel absolutely helpless? I’m glad you asked. Here are seven easy ways to avoid or reduce your sensory overload.
(1) Recognize your triggers.
This one takes time and often times the help of a loved one or friend who can be on the lookout to see how you react to certain situations. For me, strobe lights, crowds, pyrotechnics, things popping up out of nowhere and bright lights are some of my triggers.
As I’m considering events to attend or things to do, I look at my calendar to see what’s happening the day before, the day of and the day after the event I want to do. That way I can schedule my time accordingly because I simply can’t have events, which will cause sensory overload too close together. Which brings me to the next tip.
(2) Schedule your life to avoid overload.
We can’t plan every minute of every day, but the big things we have control of we should plan accordingly. For example, I love the Foo Fighters and last year I was taken to their concert for my birthday. I knew the crowd and noise would be huge triggers so I planned absolutely nothing for the next day so I could spend time decompressing and letting my brain reset itself. I also knew I would want to leave a little early so I could avoid the massive crowd stampeding for the exits.
If you must go somewhere you know will affect you, take a trusted person with you for help
There are times that sensory overload can’t be avoided, but having someone with you who can notice when you’re starting to not be yourself and who can guide you to a spot where you can decompress and let things pass is a blessing. In my case that special someone is my autism service dog, Tye.
(3) Use headphones in public and sunglasses indoors.
Many high-functioning autistics have a hard time with a lot of noise and brightness. There doesn’t need to be music or anything going through your headphones while you wear them in public, but they serve a dual purpose. First, it cuts down on the noise level around you and second, people are less likely to come up and talk to you or ask you questions.
When indoors, often times lighting is too bright, especially when fluorescent lighting is involved. There’s nothing wrong with wearing sunglasses inside and if someone says something to you, just tell them that the lighting is too bright and to worry about their own stuff and not you.
Actually, you should probably leave that last part out.
(4) Regulate smells.
Another of our quirky traits is that, as referenced above, a good number of those of us on the spectrum have a sensitivity to certain smells. It’s different smells with each person and not everyone on the spectrum has a sensitivity to smell.
If you’re taking a trip to Seattle, for example, and you know you have a sensitivity to the smell of fish, go ahead and leave Fulton Fish Market off the itinerary.
(5) Take sensory breaks.
I know that sounds very Zen, by really it’s not. I’m very guilty of breaking this rule as every time I’m on the computer and know I need a break from the monitor, I just have one more thing to do and then I’ll take a break. Next thing I know, its three hours later and now I’m starved.
It does you no good to not take breaks and give your senses a chance to relax and get back to their normal state. Generally I go and lay on my bed, set a timer for twenty minutes, chill with some relaxing music in an effort to quiet my spinning brain. I also keep incense in my office and when I feel myself starting to slide, I’ll light a stick to help me relax.
If you do want to go full-on Zen, you can try yoga or meditation. Both are things I’ve said I wanted to try for years, but have I done it yet? On to the next tip.
(6) Set limits.
This is similar to the “Schedule your life to avoid overload” tip earlier, but this is more of a hard and fast rule. You know already, or you will get to know what your limits are and that it really does matter if the concert you’ve wanted to see is the night before your big family trip to the amusement park.
This is where you have to make the tough decision. Do you want to go to the concert and reschedule the amusement park or would you rather skip the concert? You know that if you push yourself too much, by noon on amusement park day your brain will start turning to Jell-O. By the time you leave, your whole body will be tingling and the next day or two you’ll be of no use to anyone, including yourself.
(7) Find Coping Techniques.
This is going to sound vague and cryptic, but it has to be because every situation is different. If there’s something you like to do or a place you like to go that you feel like you can’t because of sensory overload, start brainstorming to figure out ways to enjoy the activity or place. If it’s the crowds, find a slow time. If it’s something else, put your head together with friends and possibly the business to see what accommodations can be made.
That’s it. They’re actually pretty simple ideas, if you think about it. Now I’d like to hear from you. What coping mechanisms have you used or have you used any at all? Are there some that I missed that work for you? Please tell us about them.
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Photo credit: Jamie Davies