Ideas for creating calming sensory space?

Post Reply New Topic

Appreciate any suggestions here:

I have bad sensory issues, particularly with touch, noise, gestalt perception and orientation and am wanting to create a space that is calming at minimal cost, but am stuck on trying to figure out what I need.
I crave pressure so like weight, I like hard, I like stable, I like the colour black.
So far the best I've come up with is sitting in a corner to have the pressure of both walls and having my weighted blanket folded on top of me, which is calming to a degree, so am wondering what else I can do to improve this.

Hi, just reading your post trying to think of something to help , have you thought about those 1970' s Fibreglass egg shaped chairs you could paint it black And fill it with your blanket and heavy pillows. Just a thought, I think I would like this as well.

::whistles M*A*S*H theme::

My sensory issues aren't that severe, so if my ideas sound silly, that's probably why.

Have you tried sitting in a wardrobe or a large cupboard? It's seems to me like that would suit some of your requirements and it would be easy to control a small area.

Perhaps you also have sensory delights as well, I know I like the feel of velvet for example. Maybe there are other things like that you could keep close at hand?

Good luck.

My too-small apartment has a "day bed" that I am a little too tall for but I find it relaxing if I place a lot of sofa pillows on top of the spread and then get underneath the spread. I suppose if you need more weight there must be something heavier. Also, the built in electric heater is nearby, nice on these now cold nights. I also wonder if you can get a divider for in front of the sleeping area for more privacy.

Alice in Wonderland you have a pretty avatar.

IKEA I think still has chairs like that. The one I thought of with this thread is what I call the "Dr. Evil Chair". It's a black leather covered shell and it swivels. Barring that, they have a really comfortable rocking chair I am lusting after at the moment that damn near puts me to sleep every time I go to my local IKEA. It can be optioned in a black cover too.

This may sound odd, but I've always used a large metal crate (I also have a wooden one I purchased at a surplus store) to lie in to feel the sides against my body. They were fairly inexpensive ($20 for the metal one and $30 for the wooden one) and serve as storage space when not "in use." These may not be widely available if you do not reside in the CONUS, so I can suggest one of those equally large storage containers one can find at most supermarkets (if you want more pressure, you can put blankets along the sides and place heavy objects on yourself). Since you like the color black, you can hang black curtains and have black furniture in the room. Having a box of various "tactile treats" handy is also quite useful. If you feel the need to fetch an item with a certain texture, you can go to the box (or boxes if you wish to organize the items by texture) and retrieve what you need.

I think I have thoroughly pummeled the proverbial deceased equine here (sorry)...

I found over exposure helped phenominally. I had to work in a super crowed(even by nt terms) office. I found it super super intoreable at first. But after a while I got so use to it, that nothing will set me off. I'm obvlivious to noise at this point. Also using earmuffs, and listening to music in crowded areas helps big time too. Just start reading in a noisy busy environment or something, after a while your brain will adjust.

For lights I just drank a lot in clubs and stuff, of course that wasn't always a good idea, but it helped with the visual.

Hmm. Interesting question.

I find dim, ambient yellow lighting to be comforting. A cheap and easy way to do this is have a desk lamp or two set on the floor close to the wall and pointed up towards the wall so the majority of the light is cast on the wall and away from the center of the room. For best results use a low wattage soft light bulb. No more than 20 watts.

I like firm, stable feeling as well, and best I have found for that is either memory foam or the firm type of mattress pad used in Japan. You could buy a memory foam mattress topper (about 2 inches thick) and set it on the floor in your sitting corner.

Also, earplugs. Earplugs are critical to my sanity. The bright orange foam ones that construction workers use. Most grocery store pharmacy sections have them.

Do you have a closet with a good space? I slept in a closet for the first really bad year of my puberty. Music you like or a white noise machine will help, because the buzzing sound of nothingness between the two walls will drive you crazy. You can actually get complete darkness if you cover the cracks in the door with blankets. It's awesome.