please feel free to add your own! some of these may be obvious to some but I wanted to list everything I could think of. I’m not a professional, these are just things that have helped me or other autistics. not all of these may be helpful to everyone, it’s a spectrum after all!
noise-cancelling headphones: this one made a huge difference! mine had a computer voice that said a long message everytime the bluetooth connected & disconnected but you can switch it off for optimal quiet bliss; just wearing headphones or earphones without music can sometimes already help (rec’d by @blorbofromourshow)
noise-softening earplugs: the company “Flare audio” make a variety of earbuds to block out or soften sound. With their “Calmer” product for example you can still hear everything but it removes the jarring pitches. Some companies sell earplugs for musicians which have a similar effect. As for regular earplugs, I’ve got very small ears so I cut foam earplugs in half before use. But I prefer wax earplugs because you can mold those to your ear canal shape. (The wax earplugs come in cotton coating for packaging which is a bad texture imo, but once that is off they are great!)
electricity: if the buzzing of electricity is keeping you from sleeping (and you don’t want to use earbuds), try unplugging non-essential electrical items at night
noisy doors and chairs: add felt pads to doors, furniture, drawers, whatever is used often and makes a sound that is too loud! felt pads can be bought in big packs and various sizes and are self-adhesive. similarly there are insulation self-adhesive strips you can buy for windows - meant for if they are letting too much wind and rain in, but they may also help with sound a little on old windows
important infos per email: if you have issues like APD it can be helpful to ask at school/college/work/etc if you can get information condensed into an email. it is common in uni to ask “could you also send us an email with all the details?” to make sure everyone has all the full info.
clocks: if you don’t live alone and there is a pesky loud ticking clock that you aren’t allowed to remove, put some thick felt behind it so the sound is softened. having a noise on a hard surface like wood often makes it much louder
polarised sunglasses: these are special sunglasses that soften harsh reflections. Make sure not to wear sunglasses inside for too long or too often because that will from what I’ve read actually make your light sensitivity worse. There are apparently FL-41 glasses that are against migraines to soften the light while being suitable for indoor and everyday wear, but they are not available in my country it seems so can’t vouch for them.
hat with a cap/brim: hats with large brims can also block out direct rays of sunlight, reflection, or fluorescent ceiling lamps depending on the tilt
blackout curtains: these are curtains that block out the light. you can buy some fairly inexpensive ones online, mine are a lovely soft lilac colour yet the dark fabric sandwiched in the middle stops almost all light from coming in. [there are curtains online that self-profess to blocking out sound but I’ve read some places that that doesn’t actually work so proceed with caution regarding those!]
on your computer: I can’t vouch for every computer, but I can dim the brightness of my screen which helps a lot. You can also set your screen to grayscale if that helps. Additionally I use a programme called “f.lux” which adapts the tone to the time of day to reduce bluelight. A lot of websites also offer “dark mode” for less eye strain.
lamps: if the ceiling lights in your home are too bright (or, worse, flicker as well) you can just use plug-in lamps instead. you can control the amount of light and its colour through your bulb choice, some lamps even actually come with a brightness regulator.
dislike of water: if you don’t like the taste water, you can work around that by drinking tea (either tea bags that need to be boiled but can be left to cool if you prefer a non-hot drink, or tea bags that can be brewed cold like some ice teas) or adding fruits to the water to change its flavour (there are special bottles for this in case you don’t want chunks while drinking)
toothpaste: if you hate brushing your teeth it may be because of mint toothpaste! there are other flavours out there that are no less healthy, e.g. fruit-flavoured toothpaste. you can get some much more pleasant flavours in kids toothpaste, just make sure you get enough fluoride content. if you hate the water and foam aspects of teethbrushing there are dry chewable options out there!
grounding (e.g. from dissociation): if you need something to ground you it can be helpful to have a quick sensory “shock”, for example a strong mint, wasabi snacks, ammonia, or other intense smells/tastes to carry with you
weighted blankets: the pressure of a weighted blanket is said to relieve anxiety and is found to be comforting for a lot of autistics. if pressure if for you, you may also enjoy weighted vests! if you can’t afford a weighted blanket, thrift stores may have quilts and crocheted blankets that can sometimes be quite heavy to get you part of the way there weight-wise
sticky or gross residue: carry anti-bacterial wet wipes or anti-bacterial hand sanitiser with you (these come in different levels of liquidity, either very runny or more gel-like, depending on your preference) for a quick hand-cleanse when your hands touched something sticky or gross
wear gloves: if you are sensitive to textures it may help to wear gloves in certain situations, e.g. when washing dishes (rec’d by @vitaminbees)
bad smells: carry a small essential oil bottle of a good smell with you to cover the bad smell in your nostrils (recommended by @pixiesky) ; other oils and even car air fresheners could also help (rec’d by @chaosintheavenue)
cover your nose: covering your nose with a mask or a wet flannel can block out some of the smells (rec’d by @veradragonjedi)
stim toys baby style: if getting stim toys is not easy for you, toys for babies are often great for stimming plus the baby sections sometimes sell toys that are meant to be chewed (chewlery-adjacent)
DIY stim toy: an easy DIY stim toy is the marble maze! you need to do some simple sewing and besides your sewing supplies only need a bit of fabric and a marble (I used large jewellery beads if you have those at hand). the marble maze is excellent for fidgeting while making almost no noise, like for a school environment
scripted note cards: have pre-prepared cards or images to show when you are going semi- or non-verbal, or already are, and for other situations where you cannot communicate while in distress but have to let people know what is going on for your own safety and well-being
aac apps: for non-verbal people “augmentative and alternative communication” apps and devices are also useful which allow you to communicate via your phone or through the aac device
nesting: nesting is something you probably already do, where you have a comfortable regular spot in your home and gather things you need (or that make you feel safe and good) around your area. @autistic-af has made several posts about this and recommends using portable boxes for those who share the space with others and don’t want their nest to be disrupted by others (or if you need your space to be very neat, which nesting usually isn’t). nesting in one’s bed is common, just make sure not to charge your laptop or phone on the mattress as that is a fire hazard.
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