You Are Not A Limited Set Of Things @abigailmaedy - Tumblr Blog

Posts

woodrider

idk why women's bathrooms exist when women don't poop or pee

kalichnikov

it's where they go to do cocaine

audrey-hepbae

guiltyidealist

autistic-people-are-awesome

@actuallyadhd

[Image Descriptions:

All slides have a light blue background, and the text is written in blue rectangles with rounded corners.

Slide 1: The title is in white text inside a dark blue circle that is centred in the slide.

Sensory Overload And how to cope

Slide 2: The header is in a dark blue rectangle and white text, and the body is in a pale blue rectangle and black text.

Sensory overload has been found to be associated with disorders such as:

Fibromyalgia (FM)

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS)

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

Autistic spectrum disorders

Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)

Synesthesia

Slide 3: The text is in three pale blue rectangles that go horizontally across the slide. All use black text. The last rectangle has four smaller dark blue rectangles with white text inside it for the four points. The text is centred in all of the rectangles.

Sensory overload occurs when one (or more) of the body’s senses experiences over-stimulation from the environment.

Basically it feels like everything is happening at once, and is happening too fast for you to keep up with.

Sensory overload can result from the overstimulation of any of the senses.

Hearing: Loud noise or sound from multiple sources, such as several people talking at once.

Sight: Bright lights, strobe lights, or environments with lots of movement such as crowds or frequent scene changes on TV.

Smell and Taste: Strong aromas or spicy foods.

Touch: Tactile sensations such as being touched by another person or the feel of cloth on skin.

Slide 4: A heading in two light blue rectangles with black text, followed by a table with a dark blue first row that has white text, and then alternating pale blue and white rows with black text. (The table is not really a table, it is just a four-column list.)

Obviously, everyone reacts in differently to sensory overload.

Some behavioural examples are:

Irritability — “Shutting down” — Covers eyes around bright lights — Difficulty concentrating Angry outbursts — Refuses to interact and participate — Covers ears to close out sounds or voices — Jumping from task to task without completing Overexcitement — Low energy levels — Difficulty speaking — Compains about noises not effecting others High energy levels — Sleepiness/fatigue — poor eye contact — Overly sensitive to sounds/lights/touch Fidgeting and restlessness — Avoids touching/being touched — Muscle tension — Difficulty with social interactions

Slide 5: The header is in a dark blue box with pointy corners and white text. The body is in a pale blue box with pointy corners and black text.

There are two different methods to prevent sensory overload: avoidance and setting limits:

Create a more quiet and orderly environment - keeping the noise to a minimum and reducing the sense of clutter.

Rest before big events.

Focus your attention and energy on one thing at a time.

Restrict time spent on various activities.

Select settings to avoid crowds and noise.

One may also limit interactions with specific people to help prevent sensory overload.

Slide 6: This looks the same as the last slide except the text in the header is black.

It is important in situations of sensory overload to calm oneself and return to a normal level.

Remove yourself from the situation.

Deep pressure against the skin combined with proprioceptive input that stimulates the receptors in the joints and ligaments often calms the nervous system.

Reducing sensory input such as eliminating distressing sounds and lowering the lights can help.

Calming, focusing music works for some.

Take an extended rest if a quick break doesn’t relieve the problem.

Slide 7: Four light blue rectangles with rounded corners, stacked one above the other, with black text.

What if someone you know is experiencing sensory overload?

Recognize the onset of overload. If they appear to have lost abilities that they usually have, such as forgetting how to speak, this is often a sign of severe overload.

Reduce the noise level. If they are in a noisy area, offer to guide them somewhere more quiet. Give time to process questions and respond, because overload tends to slow processing. If you can control the noise level, for example by turning off music, do so.

Do not touch or crowd them. Many people in SO are hypersensitive to touch - being touched or thinking they are about to be touched can worsen the overload. If they are seated or are a small child, get down to their level instead of looming above them.

Slide 8: Similar to previous slide, only with three rectangles instead of four.

Don’t talk more than necessary. Ask if you need to in order to help, but don’t try to say something reassuring or get them talking about something else. Speech is sensory input, and can worsen overload.

If they have a jacket, they may want to put it on and put the hood up. This helps to reduce stimulation, and many people find the weight of a jacket comforting. If their jacket is not within reach, ask them if they want you to bring it. A heavy blanket can also help in a similar way.

Don’t react to aggression. Don’t take it personally. It is rare for someone who is overloaded to cause serious harm, because they don’t want to hurt you, just get out of the situation. Aggression often occurs because you tried to touched/restrained/blocked their escape.

Slide 9: Similar to previous slide, only with two rectangles instead of three.

When they have calmed down, be aware that they will often be tired and more susceptible to overload for quite awhile afterwards. It can take hours or days to fully recover from an episode of sensory overload. If you can, try to reduce stress occurring later on as well.

If they start self-injuring, you should usually not try to stop them. Restraint is likely to make their overload worse. Only intervene if they are doing something that could cause serious injury, such as hard biting or banging their head. It’s a lot better to deal with self-injury indirectly by lowering overload.

Slide 10: The header is in a dark blue rectangle with white text, and the other text is in a row of five dark blue circles with white text. The text is centred in all shapes.

To summarise - Remember the 5 R’s

Recognise The symptoms of overload

Remove Yourself from the situation

Reduce the stimulus causing the overload

Relax Your body and calm yourself down

Rest Yourself as you will most likely feel fatigue.]

guerrillawar

shitpost-senpai

ding dong you are wrong

unclebeanbag

Yep, they can.

joosh-actual-deactivated2018092

ungoliantschilde

FedEx has amusing aircraft mechanics in their employ.

sigsauer-ist

oh fuck this is great

omgthatdress

Putting these up for anyone who needs them today.

Toxic Parents: Overcoming Their Hurtful Legacy and Reclaiming Your Life by Susan Forward

Why Does he DO That: Inside The Minds of Angry and Controlling Men by Lundy Bancroft

superopinionated

Cannot recommend WDHDT highly enough. I’ve found it helpful not just for romantic relationships, but also for growing up w a “unexplainable/uncontrollable” dad.

IT HAS ALSO BEEN REALLY HELPFUL FOR UNDERSTANDING ONLINE MOB HARASSMENT.

So if you’ve ever been bombarded w threats to be raped/killed, (so…if you’re a minority and you’ve been on the Internet for a while), this book might be useful for getting clarity around the whole entitled, abusive mindset that drives certain kinds of people to behave that way. And by “getting clarity”, I mean (for me) being able to go “oh, that’s what’s happening” and not really feel scared anymore. Or angry, or drawn out into it, or anything.

And if you’re still standing around going “but how does something like GamerGate happen?” or “but why do men hit their wives?” or whatever – please read that book and learn something.

omgthatdress

^^^^ truth WDHDT is fantastic at cutting down MRA bullshit and calling it what it really is

kithnkin

Also recommending

swampseer

Please consider reading these. WDHDT is really, really helpful. And I know some of you are struggling with abusive relationships, friendships, families, etc. You’re not alone. There is help.

angelfelis

There’s also a really good group on Facebook called “Narcissistic Parent Answers” that I would recommend. They makes posts about how to stay safe, and also explain narcissistic behaviors (which has made me go “holy shit that’s what that was” multiple times) and helps reassure the victim that it isn’t their fault.

fiti-vation

mamabearteacher

Lunch ideas

mamafox18

@magicalmissb I thought of you!

andimtheteacher

Needed this!

onlyoneovaryohgress

This could be the most useful post on tumblr I’ve ever seen. Ping @samiholloway

monnichi-blog-aka-legend-of-sora

Where was this post all my life?

justaminorthreat

I needed this so bad

quick-nip

(via Saturday Morning Cartoons: Baopu #15) by Yao Xiao

words to remember

joemoc

This is so good. I try to be mindful of things like this but it can be hard if you feel self-conscious about your feelings in the first place!

lastlips

So important

silverswirl-deactivated20181119

This has changed the way I communicate so much, I think about this post all the time, you guys have no idea

psych2go

bedbugbiting

My face is having uncontrollable spasms. Great. It hurts really, really, really bad.

I think part of why I have trouble explaining pain to the doctor is when they ask about the pain scale I always think “Well, if someone threw me down a flight of stairs right now or punched me a few times, it would definitely hurt a lot more” so I end up saying a low number. I was reading an article that said that “10” is the most commonly reported number and that is baffling to me. When I woke up from surgery with an 8" incision in my body and I could hardly even speak, I was in the most horrific pain of my life but I said “6” because I thought “Well, if you hit me in the stomach, it would be worse.”

bomberqueen17

I searched and searched for the post this graphic was from, and the OP deactivated, but I kept the graphic, because my BFF does the same thing, uses her imagination to come up with the worst pain she can imagine and pegs her “10″ there, and so is like, well, I’m conscious, so this must be a 5, and then the doctors don’t take her seriously. (And she then does things like driving herself to the hospital while in the process of giving birth. Probably should have called an ambulance for that one!)

So I found this and sent it to her. Because this is what they want to know: how badly is this pain affecting you? Not on a scale of “nothing” to “how I’d imagine it’d feel if bears were eating my still-living guts while I was on fire”.

I hate reposting stuff, but I’ll never find that post again and OP is deactivated, so, here’s a repost. I can delete this later, i just wanted to get it to you and I can’t embed images in a chat or an ask.

derryderrydown

This is possibly why it took several weeks to diagnose my fractured spine.

petralemaitre

Pain Scale transcription:

10 - I am in bed and I can’t move due to my pain. I need someone to take me to the emergency room because of my pain.

9 - My pain is all that I can think about. I can barely move or talk because of my pain.

8 - My pain is so severe that it is difficult to think of anything else. Talking and listening are difficult.

7 - I am in pain all the time. It keeps me from doing most activities.

6 - I think about my pain all of the time. I give up many activities because of my pain.

5 - I think about my pain most of the time. I cannot do some of the activities I need to do each day because of the pain.

4 - I am constantly aware of my pain but can continue most activities.

3 - My pain bothers me but I can ignore it most of the time.

2 - I have a low level of pain. I am aware of my pain only when I pay attention to it.

1 - My pain is hardly noticeable.

0 - I have no pain.

gallusrostromegalus

This scale was SUPER helpful in getting my diagnosis/proper attention from the ER doctors this week. Even if you can’t remember the numbers, it’s helpful for doctors if you tell them “My pain is/isn’t impairing my ability to move or think”

optimysticals

This is super helpful.

euclasedeac

alcoholic beverage breakdown

I had a disturbing exchange with a high school-aged person today that prompted this…

Beer, wine, mead, and cider are fermented beverages.

Mead is made from honey.

Cider is made from apples.

Beer is made from grains.

Beer tastes like beer because they flavor it with hops.

They used to flavor beer with dandelions.

Ain’t that cute?

All beer is either ale or lager.

Ale is fermented at room temperature.

Lager is brewed and store cold.

Barleywine, bitter, porter, and stout are ales.

Pilsner and bock are lagers.

Most of the crap people drink in America is pale lager.

Mosft of the crap people drink in Ireland is dry stout.

Butterbeer isn’t real.

(Except actually I think it is, and I heard it tastes like cream soda)

Miruvor isn’t real, either, but it probably would taste like squash.

Ent-draught isn’t real, either, but shit, it would be awesome if it were.

Wine is made from fermented fruit juice, usually grapes.

Red wine is made from red grapes.

White wine is made from green grapes.

The name of the grape is the name of the wine (Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot are all varieties of grape)

Unless you live in France.

In which case, the name of the place supersedes the name of the grape.

(for example: Burgundies are made in Burgundy, France, but Burgundy wine can be Pinot Noir or Chardonnay)

Champagne is any sparkling white wine.

However, Champagne can also be wine that comes from Champagne, France.

Drink red wine with beef. Drink white wine with fish.

Act like it tastes good.

Keep a Diet Coke in your bag for later.

You’ll be fine.

Brandy is distilled wine.

Cognac is brandy aged in oak barrels.

Don’t fuck around with the French about their cognac.

Fortified wine is wine with added alcohol.

Sherry is fortified white wine made in Spain.

Port is fortified red wine made in Portugal.

Vermouth is fortified white wine plus grape spirits.

Sweet vermouth has added sugar.

Dry vermouth has added spices like nutmeg.

Liquors are distilled spirits that contain ethanol.

Liqueurs are liquors that have sugar and flavors added.

Liquors can be made from grains, fruits, or vegetables.

Grain alcohol is liquor made from grains. Duh.

Gin, Vodka, and Whisky are grain alcohols.

Vodka is grain alcohol and water.

Be careful with vodka. Homemade vodka is poisonous.

Gin is (basically vodka) flavored with juniper berries.

Absinthe is (basically gin) flavored with anise.

Whisky is grain alcohol aged in wood barrels.

Malt whisky is made from barley.

Grain whisky is made from all the other grains.

Scotch is whisky made in Scotland.

Bourbon is Kentucky whisky mostly made from corn.

Don’t fuck around with the Scottish.

Don’t fuck around with people from Kentucky, either.

Tequila is liquor made from the blue agave plant.

Rum is liquor made from sugarcane.

Schnapps is liquor made from fruit “must” (smashed fruit that still contains seeds and skins).

American schnapps is grain alcohol mixed with fruit flavors and sugar syrup.

Drink apple schnapps only while playing Tekken 2.

Sake is rice wine that’s brewed like beer. Or something.

Avoid these cocktails: Grog, Long Island Iced Tea, Manhattan, Dark and Stormy, Jack and Coke, Piña Colada, Scorpion. They contain huge amounts of alcohol and/or a huge number of calories. That Long Island Ice Tea is the worst motherfucker of the bunch. Just avoid them. Have a lemon drop martini instead.

Don’t drink on an empty stomach or you’ll puke.

Don’t drink too fast or you’ll puke.

Avoid Long Island Iced Teas. Like I said.

Don’t drink and drive because you might kill my Mom. You fuckers.

If your friend has had too much to drink and needs to crash, make sure she’s lying on her side so she doesn’t choke on her own vomit.

Don’t leave a drunk friend alone.

Passing out is a sign of being severely goddamn sick. If someone drinks and passes out? They are dying right now. Call 9-1-1.

If you are drunk, don’t drink coffee or caffeine to get sober. Sip cold water and nibble some saltine crackers.

Don’t be a fucking idiot. Don’t smash my mailbox.

Really, do you need to drink?

You probably don’t.

But now you know some stuff. Maybe.

youaremynewdream

a couple more notes that I didn’t know before I started drinking in college:

- be careful of jungle juice. Be aware of what is going into your drinks, if you can try to bring your own drinks to parties, and if you can’t, be very careful and make sure you have a buddy looking after you.

- cheap ass wine is your friend. if you’re just starting out with wine, try Moscato. Sweet, sparkling wines are your friend when you haven’t had wine before.

- Sangria is basically wine, fruit juice, and fruit, and sometimes other alcohol. it is beautiful. Be careful.

- Be careful about mixing energy drinks/coffee with alcohol. It’s not the worst thing in the world but it will make your heart do crazy things and you probably should avoid it tbh.

- you will not feel immediate effects from drinking. take it slow or you’re going to get a lot more drunk then you ever want to be.