Sensory Adulting

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My health has been improving lately, which is great. However, I had a crushing reminder today that I can't ever do what other people do.

I can learn to speak again. I can learn to walk again. I can get my GI system functioning well enough to have a few hours of energy.

...but as soon as I've got that energy, life knocks me back on my ass: haha, you can't organize that much sensory information in a day!

What are your favorite tools for handling the sensory elements of adult life (working, running errands, meal times with others, parenting...)?

And how do you keep yourself from sudden overload (which may happen away from home while you are in charge of two small people)?

In basic terms, I would say that you should organize your time. Make sure you have a calendar, and something (like maybe a phone) which could remind you of when you have appointments, and when you have to food shop, what to get in the store, etc.

If you do this for a while, you would establish a routine, and you would be able to retain this stuff in your head after a while. The retaining of this information would, inevitably, lessen your sensory overload--because it would then seen like "old hat."

I'm glad your health is improving.

I'd rather be on "sensory overload" than just lying around all day.

What I do is live like you would drive while on empty. I keep a close eye on my "gas gauge". If I have the energy for something, I commit to it and constantly measure how much reserve I have while I am doing it. If I get close to my energy bottoming out, I leave enough "in my tank" to graciously stop what I am doing, get to a safe place and regenerate my energy. And I also do not commit to something that I know I cannot do, even if I really want to.

For me it's about being honest with myself always and being forgiving of my self when I come up short.

Good luck.

Doing only a few chores/errands per day.
Living simply (few possessions; eating the same thing everyday, etc.)
Maintaining home as a haven (rather than a place with more noise and goings-on).
Take ear defenders/ear plugs and/or portable music player + headphones when going out. Using a white noise machine to drown out undesirable sounds.
Live in small town!
Cycle instead of driving/public transportation.
Use paratransit services.