#social overload

[anotherautistic]

Why one day out/event means two days sensory recovery?🤕

[k-i-l-l-e-r-b-e-e-6-9]

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Toxik  -  Social Overload

[adultingautistic]

totally ok if you don't have the answer to this but I've been realizing I might be autistic and I have realized that stimming behaviours like playing with objects with nice texture and rocking in my chair helps me calm down a bit. The problem is I've been a lot more anxious and overwhelmed since quarantine started because I can't have real alone time and I'm constantly interrumpted (these last weeks specially bc I had to be in the living room instead of my room). I think listening to music++(p1)

(p2)++while going places was a big thing for me but now I can't bc I have to be careful with social distancing so I can't wear headphones and I don't have classes yet and walking inside my house is not the same and I'd get constantly interrumpted.. I don't know what I'm asking just like. other types of stim? other ways to try and calm down and be less anxious? again it's okay if you don't know I'm sorry! could it be that realizing this is making me remember things and being more aware of it?

Ask date: September 12th

Oh gosh, I can totally, totally understand how stressful this must be.  As autistics, socializing is exhausting for us, and so we NEED that alone time in order to recharge and build back up our energy!  

Traveling is my FAVORITE activity, BECAUSE I can do it alone and I also love to listen to music while doing it (driving or walking or riding a train or bus, doesn’t matter, all are good for listening to music and not talking to anyone).  

I really, really value this alone time as well, it’s one of my favorite things, and losing it due to the pandemic has been hard on me, as well.  Add on top of that not being able to be alone in your own house, and I can absolutely understand how stressed out you must be.  

I don’t know your living situation, but one sentence you said really jumped out at me, which was “these last weeks specially bc I had to be in the living room instead of my room.” This says to me that there’s something social going on in your family where you’re “expected” to be in the living room, and so it’s not the crowdedness of your house, but your family’s behavior, and their refusal to respect your need for alone time, that is stressing you out.

You need to find a way to get more alone time.  You can try talking to your family and asking them if you can spend less time in the living room.  If they don’t listen, then you need to find a way to get out of your house.  You don’t need to go anywhere- just going for a walk outside, not to anywhere in particular, can be amazing for your mental health.  Even if you don’t feel able to wear headphones, (I’m not sure I understand that part), it will still let you be alone, which is extremely important because you need time to get away from them. 

I don’t think this is a stimming problem.  I think this is a social problem- as in, too much social.  Your family isn’t giving you a break, which you desperately need.  So look for ways to get that break.  You can try talking to them, or asking them if you can spend more time in your room because you need a break.  You can also be the first person up in the morning- wake up early so you can have a nice, peaceful hour of time to listen to music without anyone bothering you.  Or stay up late, be the last to go to bed.  I know a lot of people with intrusive families who use this method to get some peace and quiet.

Quarantine is hard, and I am so sorry you’re struggling through this.  I really do understand.  I hope that you find a way to have some peace in these difficult times.  Do your best to get as much alone time as you can, and that way you’ll have more energy to give when you have to be around people.

[felisorablue]

Dissociation is muffling. Every sound is like a conversation heard through a door. Vision like there's smoke in every room. Touch like you have gloves on. Emotion like going into shock, feeling nothing.

[lunaexclipse]

as at work interacting with people for four hours straight and now my brothers sat right next to me in a noisy ass restaurant....

Free me. Please.

[stylistic-nightmare]

Toxik - Social Overload

[onlyonewoman]

Mo Xuanyu?  Oh, no. No, it’s not. This is ME, my autistic, introverted ass, trying to recover from being social this Saturday.   I am exhausted. As in lying-on-my-sofa exhausted. It-could-be-7pm-or-7am kind of exhausted. Nine-hours-of-good-sleep-didn’t-fix-it exhausted. Coffee-and-ADHD-meds-no-longer-help exhausted. Unable-to-attend-workout-class-I-looked-forward-to exhausted. And I had a nice time this Saturday.  But. BUT. Being autistic and introverted with ADD it doesn’t fucking MATTER if it was nice. Not when it concerns energy - or rather, the lack there-of. Mostly, I therefor choose not to attend things that could very likely be FUN but also certainly be absolutely DRAINING. Today, my head and body are paying the bill for me having a good time amongst other people and I know it wont be done with the payments until at the very least this weekend.  To my brain, there is no such thing as gaining energy while having fun with others.  Can I gain energy while having fun? Sure. But only on my own, in an environment I control or can be pretty sure wont get overloaded with people’s noises and impressions - like a forrest. Do I regret participating in said social event this Saturday? No. But I also know I will not be able to participate in anything like it for a very long time, months probably.  I’m so tired I feel like I’ve accidently taken a dose of xanax instead of my ADD meds. So yeah, that’s ME on that picture, trying to sleep-walk myself through the day, dreading the fact that I will have to be a bit more social this work week than usual - with a NICE person who isn’t to blame AT ALL for this! - and being endlessly envious of extrovert people who’d be energized by this.

[judithwesterfield]

How texting makes stress worse

How texting makes stress worse

I don’t text and dislike Zoom.  All things that are seemingly ON-DEMAND stress me out.  I prefer to conveniently blamed it on fibromyalgia/ME – my favorite scape-goat for all things I can’t explain, including UFO’s).  Read this if you are running out of scapegoats for your stress. judy By Bryan Lufkin “If group chats give us solace and connection in a crisis, why do some of us feel burnt out and…

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