When people witness my busy lifestyle, they are sometimes surprised to learn the extent of the disability caused by my neurodivergence. Conversely, when members of the neurodiverse population who I've opened up to more deeply about challenges I face hear about the lifestyle I maintain I often am met with surprise and incredulity that I am able to manage the things that I do.
Why?
I've learned to live by three simple words:
I'm serious!
Amongst other things, I have Sensory Processing Disorder. My brain is AWFUL at making sense of sensory information, especially when stimuli are especially intense or complex. There are many ways that this affects me, but the most impactful is that I have a difficult time operating in environments with loud and varied auditory stimulation, and that I get sick when exposed to strobing lights or visually similar phenomena. This is not a static experience - there are some days when I do okay, and others when I easily become overwhelmed by stimulation and resultantly experience high levels of sensory anxiety.
This used to be quite disabling. But I got tired of avoiding places and experiences, so I've spent the last year figuring out ways to accommodate my symptoms so that bad sensory days don't have to derail me. I put together a toolkit that I now keep with me at all times in case of unexpected sensory stimulation or sensitivity.
So, without further ado: my SPD EDC
1.) Blackout glasses
The very first item that I added to my toolkit was a pair of intensely shaded sunglasses which block out essentially all light. These were initially for the purpose of blocking fluorescent lights when at my sickest I found them intolerable. Since recovering by a large degree and just getting creative, I've found that these are a great asset for attending concerts, parties, and any other event where there may be over-bright or flashing lights.
These take some openness to experience and just to doing things differently - they feel like an extreme adaptation. You'll have to be okay with wearing shades inside. People may ask you about that. If like me you need total-light-blocking lenses you'll also be sacrificing your vision during use. You may need to rely on a friend to help navigate to attend events if you rely on these. But if you need this strategy, it's SO worth it! I absolutely CANNOT tolerate flashing lights - I learned the hard way that they still make me pass out. But I go to concerts all the time. I wear my glasses when the lights come on, and my husband helps me navigate. We have it down to a science by this point. We regained our ability to do a "normal" activity that is important to us. We also regained a level of spontaneity as a couple that we hadn't had before. Events no longer require immense planning and scrutiny of venue type, etc. I just bring my glasses along and put them on if things feel too visually intense. Ben is used to this and is my sighted guide if I'm using the glasses. Literally no one else at events has ever let on that they care in the slightest. I'm pretty sure we manage to totally blend in a solid amount of the time.
I bought my glasses from Amazon (linked and pictured above). There are other brands and levels of light-blocking available. There are even some that totally wrap around to block ALL light even moreso than the ones I bought. There are - obviously - regular sunglasses, too. There are different colors of lenses. Look around and find what works for you.
I don't know how I lived before finding out about high-fidelity earplugs. These things are AMAZING! Gone are the days of choosing between excruciatingly loud noise or the nonsensical muffled and garbled mess that makes its way through foam earplugs. Gone are the days of worries over looking like a "spaz" covering my ears because things were just too loud. If noise levels are getting to me, I pop in a pair of clear high-fidelity earplugs and enjoy instant relief. I can still hear everything crystal-clear, just SO. MUCH. QUIETER.
Plus, these babies are so discreet that nobody can even tell I have them in. Seriously - they're basically invisible, especially if you happen to have long hair that covers your ears. If you're in a crowded or busy environment, you can use these with confidence that no one will even notice a thing.
You can follow the link to a specialty site, but there are a number of brands online and elsewhere. I bought mine at my local Guitar Center.
3.) Brimmed hat
This one is self-explanatory. I find having a hat helpful in very bright environments or where there might be low-level variation in lights coming from overhead. Blocking some light can be helpful, and a baseball cap can reduce the amount I need to use the full-stop blinding blackout glasses. In intense environments a hat can also enhance the effect of the glasses by sealing up the edges where the glasses don't cover 100%.
There are lots of options with this - hats come in so many styles! For a readily-available often carried option you may find packable hats helpful. These can be found from most outdoors goods retailers, such as Eddie Bauer, Columbia, Patagonia, etc. My favorites were purchased from Eddie Bauer and Nike.
That's my standby-item list. I ALWAYS have the glasses and earplugs (they fit so neatly in a purse/backpack!). I usually have a hat in the car, and if I'm going somewhere where I expect I'll want it I throw a packable baseball cap into my bag or on as a planned part of my outfit.
Neurodivergence can be a pain - it can feel daunting to step into environments not made for your neurological wiring. But with willingness to approach situations creatively and some good standby gear you can create avenues to access that at one point may not have seemed possible.
Improvise! Adapt! Overcome!
You'll do great.
