I carry a set of earplugs with me. I keep a pair in my car and in all my emergency kits.
I hate earplugs, but… they help me blend in while getting me through the most difficult circumstances. I have used earplugs in class when a video was too loud or if just the class in general was too loud. I have used them to fall asleep when the world just seemed louder than normal. I use them less now than I used to, but they are my coping skill when I can’t handle things.
I feel like my life is a series of trying to blend in by finding ways to do normal things abnormally. Not that anything I do is really abnormal, it’s just thinking outside of the box.
Recently I discussed with my therapist ways to address my sensory needs to make life more manageable. I guess I tend to neglect my needs in favor of appearing normal. So I haven’t taken time to find sensory stimuli to reduce stress in my life.
Hearing is one thing that has been pretty easy to find ways to deal with it. I can easily slip a pair of earplugs in and significantly reduce the pain I feel from excruciatingly loud sounds. I still feel nearly constant pain from all the sounds and sensory input surrounding me every day, but I’m going to start looking into more ways to fulfill my sensory needs.
Up until now I have learned to find peace within myself when everything becomes distressing. But it’s nice to know that it doesn’t have to be that hard anymore. It’s okay to deal with things differently and use things like earplugs and textures and smooth surfaces to help me feel better.
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autismthoughts 
Have you ever used noise cancelling headphones to reduce everyday noise too? I know you can get some that are designed to be used even when not listening to music etc. 🙂
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I have seen them before, but I’m very reserved with my sensory stuff. If it’s something other people can see, I usually won’t do it. I know I probably shouldn’t worry about it, but it’s hard to get over.
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OF COURSE IT’S OKAY!!! It makes me sad that you would ever have felt self-conscious or ashamed in any way. Whatever YOU need to maximize the goodness of your life experience, my friend!!!!!!!
Ahem, and ZI should take my own advice 😉
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I think we all just don’t want to be different. I probably take it a little too seriously though. I have resisted use of helpful resources for so long that it’s hard to even consider doing some things. I’m beginning to realize though that there are little ways to make life easier without necessarily exposing myself as someone who struggles with sensory issues.
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Reblogged this on Teachezwell Blog and commented:
It’s easy to forget that we don’t all process the sounds of the world in the same way. Here’s a thoughtful post on strategies for coping with NOISE.
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Very helpful tips! I’ve reblogged so others can get the benefit of your experiences.
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Thanks!
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Those are some great first steps… I now have a sensory bag…My son has a backpack and I have a purse…and most people just think its for books or whatever but it has headphones, a smell sachet, iPod, book, hat, sunglasses, snacks I love, and some sort of tactile thing…
If you click on my side blog you may find some other tips to help you too. At 32 I am learning that being comfortable makes me the best version of me! and thank god for therapy too!:)
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Thanks. I’m still learning how to even start to address this stuff. But… It’s good to have resources available.
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