Since I learned I'm an autist –which is already a journey–, I acquired a lot of knowledge about myself. I understand why I have this feeling at this moment. It's not perfect and it will not be. My quality of life also improved. I didn't become someone else. I change to the real me.
One thing, I was completely unaware of before is the hypersensitivity to the noise. It was a rollercoaster to discover this. The first downhill was long and exhausting before I could enjoy it. I enjoy my earplugs and headphones. I can feel the anxiety lowering when I wear them. The peace of a less noisy environment.
I can't forget the difference it is when I can remove the noises. I don't completely enjoy the silence. I still hear a white noise. My ears are really sensible. While people are enjoying the sound of people playing music, I spot the mistakes, the irregularities. At the point that, I can hear a difference in my headphones when my hair is too long, the noise cancelling doesn't work as well as when the hair is cut.
Nowadays I'm happy to know all of this. I apply strategies to have a good life. I enjoy a quiet life.
@Autistrain@actuallyautistic@neurodiversity i'm similar. i always knew that i was sensitive to loud noises, but it took me a long time to consider that i was also sensitive to noise at a moderate volume, and how consistently wearing earplugs and headphones would change my life. even longer to understand the important role that soft, gentle sound plays in calming me, because i also don't enjoy silence - i still hear the sound of devices in the room, or air moving, or my own body.
@Autistrain@actuallyautistic@neurodiversity I love my headphones and ear plugs and am shocked at how much external noise affects me, and how long it took me to realise this.
To give you more details about this, I didn't even think about hypersensitivity. It was a total discovery for me.
I had a very hard and dark time in my life around 23 years old and again at 27. I suspected autism but I was not fine with the idea at first. I forget about it for 4 years before things didn't go well again. I did deeper research and found out I'm an autist. It triggered a domain of interest to me and I read so much –good and bad– information on autism. I once ended up reading about hypersensitivity. Before all of this, I thought everyone heard, saw, etc. like me and I thought we had to be fine with them. "Life is like that."
Then, I asked myself about hypersensitivity. I gave it a try. Why not? I had nothing to lose. And, it was a revelation. I wear headphones and I could feel the anxiety going away. I could feel what is being relaxed. I didn't know that. It was a relief. Since then, I put strategies in place to avoid too many noises and for too long. I don't know how I survived without knowing about this.
@housepanther
I found hyposensitivity as well. I can eat spicy food and I love to take very hot shower. I enjoy the stimulation of the hot water. But, I hate the hot weather. We have to think case by case when it comes to hypersensitivity and hyposensitivity. This is really important to have the right strategies to help to cope with them. @BooleanBear@pathfinder@actuallyautistic@neurodiversity
@Autistrain@housepanther@BooleanBear@pathfinder@actuallyautistic@neurodiversity
I'm sure you're right. I like very hot showers (though I turn the temperature down, because water that hot is bad for the skin), but I can't handle spicy food, bright light, out-of-tune music, or the sound of expanded polystyrene. Every autist seems to have a unique set of sliders. 🙂
@nddev
Yes, absolutely, we are each a unique human. It's different from one to another. We can group the strategies and coping mechanisms. But, they have to be adapted at each individual. @housepanther@BooleanBear@pathfinder@actuallyautistic@neurodiversity
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